Persona Fate
by Tyrant Yoshitsuna
Summary: Minato takes the place of Shirou, and he still retains his Persona powers, but can't summon. His powers begin to change in suit of the world he's in. Now, he starts to grasp his new powers and Magecraft. And you know what? He's starting to like these new changes.
1. New Journey

December 31, 2009- Full Moon...

"So... you understand." Ryoji said solemnly as he closed his eyes, acknowledging my decision. "I think that looking into the future is a great way to live. But that doesn't mean that other ways of living are wrong."

_I am a coward_

_I'm nothing but a bloody coward_

He opened his eyes and smiled at me. "No one knows which road leads to happiness." his smile became gentler. It was hard for me even just by looking at him. "I'm glad that I met you. This must be what it means to 'feel happy'." he held his arms apart, and gave me the sincerest smile I've ever seen. _It was heart-wrenching._

_I... just didn't know what to do..._

Then, he spoke his final words. "Thanks for everything."

Slowly, I took my Evoker, and held it up my temple. I looked at him for one last time, steeling my heart. "Good-bye, Ryoji."

Then I pulled the trigger.

_In that moment, everything stopped for me. All my thoughts began to fade into oblivion..._

_When I awoke the next day... peaceful days have returned again..._

_For why I say again... I can't seem to remember..._

_The school year rolled on; with nothing exciting to take note of... it's as if nothing had ever happened. My year seemed to be blank._

* * *

As I awoke, I found myself floating in the darkness. There was nothing there. There was no roof, no floor… there wasn't even a breeze in the empty black void. I tried to move, but my body refused my command. All I could do was stare at the endless abyss and reflect on what I have done.

Wait. What _had_ I done?

I fought alongside my comrades for what we thought was right. I gained new allies and friends, strengthening my resolve to what seemed to be right. I had ventured through the unknown, fighting monsters that I thought were the enemy. We gained an objective, a breakthrough in our quest. We fought and killed the ones we thought were the cause of an unknown phenomenon. I had experienced the feeling of losing a friend. I had experienced the feeling of betrayal. I had felt the pressure of being alive.

I have killed a friend to end my suffering.

I tried to shake my head to banish the thoughts, but my body remained prone, denying me that small comfort. As the feeling of regret began to swell within me, I felt my eyes water, but my expression remained still.

In that moment, a flash of light illuminated the darkness for a brief second, forcing me to close my eyes. When I opened them, I saw two figures that I never thought I'd see again.

"Minato-sama." said the woman wearing a mysterious smile that I had already grown accustomed to months ago.

"Elizabeth…" I managed to whisper. Her presence gave me a small bit of comfort, but not enough quell the regret in my heart.

"Well, it is nice to see you again, young man." said the other one with his ever impressive grin and blood-shot eyes, standing hunched over with a cane in his hands.

"Igor…" I whispered in reply.

I felt weak. My body still refused to follow my command. I wanted to give them a proper greeting, but all I could manage was to blink and say a few words. It felt a little strange seeing both of them standing on nothing.

"I am sorry for what happened." said Igor, standing beside Elizabeth, using a cane as third leg to keep him balance, as his posture remained hunched over. "We had never anticipated that you would choose what you did." he said. It was a sincere apology, but was an unnecessary one.

"Not… your fault." I said weakly before giving them both a weak smile. "I'm… a Wild… card…"

Igor chuckled, as well as Elizabeth for that tiny inside joke. "Indeed." said the hunched old man. "We never were able to see what you would do properly, even with my divinations, everything was a blur."

"Why… are you here?" I managed out.

"Straight to the point, I see." Igor chuckled. "Seeing you in this state, I can understand." he assured. He gestured to Elizabeth, making me follow his hand. "I was tasked by someone to give you something. At first I was surprised and reluctant by the request, but the person just would not take 'No' for an answer. To make it worse, two more people wanted to make the request for you as well." he shook his head in mock despair, but he never lost his grin.

I said nothing in return, only looking thoughtful as I kept my eyes glued on Elizabeth. The young woman merely began to flip the pages of a book, which I'd hazard to guess as the compendium of my Personas.

"And so," Igor continued. "I agreed. One made this request as an apology, another made this because he thought it would be interesting, the last just wanted to see how it would turn out."

I shifted my eyes to Igor. If I could raise a brow, I would have. "…Request?" I inquired.

He nodded. "A request for a new life, a new beginning, a new journey, a new… dimension."

I kept my silence as I had no idea as how to respond to that. What did he mean by 'A new life'? A new beginning? Journey? And that last part…

"What..?" was the only word that I could make out of what I had just heard.

"We are to give you a new body." Elizabeth started, her eyes never leaving the book as she flipped the pages. "Something that would be fitting for where you will be going. It is a place where it has some similarities to Persona, yet not at the same time."

I shifted my eyes again, this time looking up or whatever direction it is I'm looking at. "I'm… confused."

Igor chuckled, probably finding it amusing as Elizabeth just gave me something that I didn't understand. "Usually, I am not obligated to tell any specific details on where you will go, but this time, I will make an exception seeing that this will be our last farewell."

"Last farewell..?" I looked at Igor, whose grin had lost a few teeth showing.

"The place where you will be taken to is a place where a specific art is practiced. It is a world where mages exist and practice their arts in secret. The art that I am referring to is 'Magecraft'."

I didn't say a word. Long ago I had already given up on asking Igor for explanations, only giving me hints and vague answers for me to figure out myself. Now, I had the chance to hear Igor explain something to me, and I find myself content with just listening to this fascinating world that Igor is describing.

"In this world, you will be given what you had lost." Igor continued. "In this world, you will be able to practice their art. In this world, you will retain your Persona abilities."

My eyes darted from Igor to Elizabeth, who had finished whatever it was she was looking for in the compendium. "Persona..?"

"Yes." Igor nodded. "You will retain your Persona abilities, however, you can no longer make them manifest into the world."

If I could have, I would have nodded my head. Even if I couldn't summon my Personas' physical form, I could still channel some of their magic and spells through me, but they would not be as powerful or as potent as when I truly summon my Personas'.

"Wait…" I started weakly, interrupting Igor in his sentence. "What… will I use… them for?"

Igor nodded, his smile stretching again back to their normal length. "Indeed, you are a sharp one." He said. "One of the requesters' wanted you to retain your abilities, I do not know why, but he said that there will be an event that you will be joining in, whether you like it or not."

That sounded ominous. "Please… continue…" I prompted Igor.

"As I was saying, there was a problem on one of the people that were supposed to have a big role in that world. He said something about 'dirty muds dissolving main characters'…"

I looked at Igor with a raised brow, this time; I had managed to get another part of me to move. For some reason, I was starting to gain motor functions again. It must have been something to do with Elizabeth, or my time is drawing closer.

Igor seemed to notice the movement of my brow and began to chuckle. "Yes, it would appear that our time is almost up." Looks like I guessed right. "One last thing. Elizabeth." he turned to the woman, where he gestured this time to me.

I began to lower in the darkness, finding some footing equal to where Elizabeth and Igor were standing on. The elevator attendant walked up to me and passed me the book she was carrying.

Again, I raised a brow.

"Since we will no longer meet, we are supposed to give you back your soul." said Elizabeth.

I looked at her, then the book. I looked at Igor, then the book. I looked at Elizabeth, then Igor, then the book.

Then I suddenly felt a little creeped out that they had insinuated that my soul was the book, and that Elizabeth had it in her hands the whole time I was running around Iwatodai, running around without a soul.

"Are you saying that this book…" I began.

"Is a part of your soul?" Igor finished. "Yes. Yes it is."

"Why?" I prompted, not 'How'. If I asked how, I will never understand it. But if I asked 'Why', as in, 'why do you have a part of my soul and why was I not informed of this', then I would be less than unnerved by whatever their answers may be.

"Because we did not want you to have an identity crisis." said Elizabeth, smiling slyly like her master behind her.

I wanted to say something, I really do, but now that I think about it… there had always been that voice in my head whenever I obtained a new Persona about it becoming one with my Sea of Souls. The book which Elizabeth held was where I always get my Personas, but I never questioned its purpose before.

Wait… "If this is a part of my soul…" I started slowly. "Then why was I being charged by you whenever I wanted to retrieve my old Personas'?"

Elizabeth laughed lightly, raising her gloved hand before her mouth. "It was all business, Minato-sama. Did you really think that we would do a Soul Diving free of charge?"

Now that's even creepier that having a book for a soul. People were actually able to _DIVE_ into my soul _WITHOUT_ me even finding out. This information has deeply scarred me, and has traumatized me, I just know it. Thus, I voiced my complaint.

"You people are creepy." I said in a flat tone.

Elizabeth merely laughed it off, while Igor's smile threatened to split his face.

"Are you ready now, young man?" asked Igor.

"I'm still weak and sore." I admitted. "Wherever it is you're taking me to, I hope I survive the travel."

"You will be fine, Minato-sama." Elizabeth assured.

"This coming from the woman who nuked me with a Pixie?" I said, shaking my head slowly. "Terrifying. For some reason, your words comfort me less."

Elizabeth pouted, one of the few new expressions I had finally been able to get out of the girl. "That is not a very nice thing to say to a lady, Minato-sama."

"Yes, maybe. But I have always been taught that it was bad to lie." I said with much conviction.

I placed the book over my chest as Elizabeth continued to pout. I watched curiously as how the book seemed to meld under my skin and sink in further and further. I didn't even feel a thing.

"Say, what did you mean by identity crisis?" I asked. It had bothered me before. At first I thought that it was just a joke, but for some reason, it just wouldn't stay out of my mind.

"We meant what we said." Igor replied. "Twelve Personas are already too many for a human to carry. It was proven when you started having multiple types of personality, and was able to control you facial expression to the point that it was almost like you were a different person. Now, imagine what would happen if you have more than a hundred types of personalities inside you, wrestling each other just to manifest themselves through you."

I deadpanned. "I would be like a girl on her cycle 24/7."

"Well, that was not how I would have said it, but…" Igor trailed off. "It is definitely the closest example it can think of."

"Great…" I said to myself in despair.

"You have to remember that you are like a blank slate." Igor said. "You are easily influenced by the emotions of your Personas, that was why we have given you a limit of twelve."

"And now that I have all my Personas without any limit, I'm going to be bipolar." I sighed. "Terrific."

"It is not all like what you think." Igor reassured. "For years you had full control of your emotions, now it is just the same. As long as you keep your mind calm, you will not have any unwanted episodes."

I nodded. That made sense; I just have to avoid strong stimuli to keep myself in check.

Suddenly, I felt the world started to burn. It felt like I was in a furnace, with the dial turned to overcook. My vision began to blur. Both Igor and Elizabeth started to fade, and I felt my strength being sapped again.

I saw Igor's lips moved. "Farewell, young man. May the fates be kind to you."

And my world turned to hell.

* * *

Fire roared around me as I awoke from temporary state of death.

I didn't know where I was, I didn't know how I got here, but all I know is that I am currently trapped in a place where even Shadows pale in comparison in the horrors that I am now witnessing.

There were hundreds of people around me, begging for someone to save them as their bodies are being burned by the vengeful flames. They did not appear normal, the flames. They are unnatural, even by my own standards.

It's like they have a mind of their own, searching for all this that survived and slowly, agonizingly, chars their flesh into ash. It seems my sin for killing my friend has cost me to be thrown into the bottom of Hell itself.

From the corner of my eye, I could see others reaching out to me, asking to end their misery, asking me to help them, or asking me to join them.

As I clutched my head to dull the sudden feelings rising up inside me from the multiple Personas that wanted to grant the victims' desires, I noticed something wrong.

I looked at my hands. They were… small. Tiny, even.

I shook my head. There's no time for this. I have to get out of here. I can feel the flames already coming to my direction, crawling over the bodies and leaving them to die in pain.

I ran.

I ran and ran, but no matter what I do, the fire just would not stop following me.

The deaths, the cries, the curses sent around me keep playing like a sound that would not cease.

Still, I pushed on. I ran as fast as I could, as long as I could, wherever my short legs could take me. I could feel my breaths getting desperate from the lack of oxygen because of the fire, but I still carried on.

The ruins, I kept stumbling against them, feeling some wound appearing as I scratched myself on their surfaces, I can also feel the bruises surfacing as I continued on. But even with my will to escape, it was useless because of the size of my body.

I tripped and fell face first into the ground. It was only then that I noticed how tired I was, how I could not even catch my breath. My lungs ached from the smoke and from fatigue.

I pushed myself from the ground, so that I would at least be lying on my back. With this painful break I took a moment to examine myself.

My hair was shorter. My arms were smaller. My body was thinner. My legs were shorter. I was tiny.

I shifted my gaze to the side, looking at myself from the broken window of a burning store. From what I saw, I suddenly inhaled sharply, sending my into a coughing fit from the smoke and the sudden stress I made with my abused lungs.

What I saw was a boy, a child. He looked no older than six, maybe seven.

It was me.

I was looking at my younger self, dressed in plain blue shirt, shorts and shoes. My image bore a striking resemblance to the me that stood in the wrong place at the wrong time on the Moonlight Bridge.

Still, I shouldn't let that distract me. My primary objective now is to survive. So, using what little concentration I had with the roaring inferno around me, I started to cool my skin with the strongest ice spell I could manage.

My focus, my powers, my Persona, they all seem to be mixed up in a way that I won't be able to pick any certain Persona that I wanted. I'm confused, tired, and distressed. I can't use stronger spell when I'm in this state. It seems that my soul still hasn't adapted to the sudden flood of Persona.

So, until the fire is strong enough to summon rain, I have to lie here and keep myself alive. For now, I have to persevere, and rest.

* * *

I don't know how long it took, but the rain had finally come. I had lost my focus when the fire had come too close from my body.

The flames crawled up from beside me, scorching my arm. But, I did not move, only concentrated harder to douse the flame with what little magic I had. If I had panicked and rolled to kill the flame, I would have rolled onto the fallen debris that had fallen out of one of the buildings.

I was trapped, so I had to endure. It was only through my experience with pain that I was able to stop the fire from spreading with my magic, but still, my left arm is scorched, and I'm too tired to focus anymore.

If I could, I would have sighed. My arm hurts, it's excruciating actually, but for some reason, a part of me is ignoring the pain.

It must have been one of my Personas' that was helping me endure; I just didn't know which one.

Still, all I can do right now was stare at the dark sky as it poured on whatever fire was left what purged the place. Now that there was no longer and fire, I noticed that I was actually in a city, not Hell.

It must have been because of my earlier awakening that I was confused. I had thought that I was in Hell because of the horrors around me, but it seems that I was wrong. Either it was because of my physical state that I was being delirious, or because of my still chaotic soul, I wasn't thinking rationally.

From the corner of my eye, I noticed a movement. I shifted my vision to see what bad luck it was that wanted to fall on me to finish the job, but I was moderately surprised when I saw that it was a person.

The person started walking towards me, walking like a zombie actually, with the way he was swaying as he walked with eyes that looked like they had lost everything in the world.

As he stood before me, he met my gaze. He didn't move from there for almost a minute, as if stunned by something. The only movements I could muster were my eyes and my lungs, everything else would be dead until the pain stops throbbing and I could cast again.

Suddenly, the person collapsed to his knees beside me. Slowly, he started to reach out to me, his hands shaking with a myriad of emotions flickering on his face.

Defeat, shock, disbelief, fear, pain and joy, were the few I could name. He looked at my wounds, and I saw the look of pain going back to his face.

It's not that surprising, really. Legs bruised, battered and weak, clothes either torn or burnt, arms had cuts while one had third degree burns, not a pretty sight from what I saw. If I were to hazard a guess, I would say that my face doesn't at all look charming with all the sooth probably on it.

To normal people, it was a miracle that I was still alive. Well, it's a good thing that I wasn't normal.

All of a sudden, the person retracted their hands to their chest. I was expecting a look of relief from the action, but instead I saw a look of concentration.

When he pulled back his hands,… something came out of his chest. It was gold, blue… I couldn't tell what it was. I just laid there and watched as how the man placed the object on my chest, and watched it slowly start to sink under my skin.

If I had the energy I would have yelled or backed away, but since I couldn't even lift a finger, I just watched the man cautiously. Even though the person was doing something to me, I felt no ill will, so I forced myself to relax.

Whatever the man was doing, it was helping me. My eyelids were becoming too heavy; I don't think I could keep myself awake any longer. What he's doing is helping me relax, for some reason.

Whoever the man was, I just hope that he could help me get to a hospital or something to help me rest, because I can already feel the darkness engulfing me.

Although, before I lost my consciousness, I wondered to myself: why was the man smiling like he had just found salvation?

* * *

As I opened my eye from my slumber, I realized that I was in an unfamiliar bed.

"Was it all a dream?" I wondered.

I looked out of the window. The clear blue skies were visible. There was no rain nor was there any sign of fire, but still…

No, it wasn't a dream. That, for certain, I realized. I wasn't anywhere near a place I know. The place feels different. Also, I don't hear the ocean outside the window.

"No, it's still there…" I told myself. But, from the sounds that I hear, the ocean was quite a few distance away.

This place is not the Tatsumi Hospital.

I shifted in my bed. The bandages that I felt wrapped around my body were another fact that I couldn't ignore, nor the one that I have on most of my left arm.

Right then, the door opened in the room. When I looked over to it, I found the man that saved me had just arrived, along with a doctor behind him.

The look of surprise on the doctor's face was evident, and only a tiny glimpse of the same emotion was on the man. When they looked at me, they looked genuinely surprised that I was looking at them, or were they thinking that I should still be asleep right now?

After the doctor gave me a brief examination, I could hear him murmuring about 'fast healing'. It confused me when he said that. I haven't even started to heal myself with any magic that I know, but even if I tried, I could still feel my Personas in turmoil.

Right now, I was alone with the man who saved me. He kept looking at me; his face was blank, for some reason. Since I couldn't do anything with my current situation, I might as well start a conversation.

"You're the one who saved me, right?" I asked.

My words seem to add a bit of joy into the man, even though there was no move in his facial expression. He nodded. "Yes, that was me." When he said that, he sounded like it had a hint of remorse. Maybe I was the only one he had managed to save?

There was a question I've been meaning to ask. "So, what will happen to me after this?" I asked the man. "I don't have a family that's alive, and I don't know any relatives." Seeing that I wasn't even supposed to exist in this world, how will I manage without even knowing anyone?

I saw the man going into deep thought, then looked at me with an expression that said that he had an idea. "Well, if that's the case, which would you prefer? Would you go to the orphanage, or to be adopted by a man you've never seen before?"

I raised a brow at him, my face still remaining blank. "I'd go with the man. It'll only be the same if I go to an orphanage."

The man nodded. "I see, that's good. I'll come back again tomorrow, and see if I can get the papers ready." He said. Well, at least he doesn't beat around the bush.

He was about to leave, when I spoke out and called to him. "Can I ask your name?"

He looked back to me and smiled. "Emiya Kiritsugu. How about you?"

"Minato." I answered. "Arisato Minato."

He gave one last nod as he closed the door and left. I find myself feeling alone again, for some reason. Still, I could use this time to organize the Personas inside of me, and start healing whatever wounds I have left.

If I remember correctly, the man did something to me when he found me. I wonder what it was.

* * *

The next day that Kiritsugu had arrived in my room, he was surprised at how the doctor kept checking up on me. He asked what the matter was, but the doctor said that there was nothing wrong. There was nothing wrong with me.

In fact, there wasn't even a wound on me.

The next few moments after that, the doctor continued his frantic examination, ignoring Kiritsugu's bewildered expression. Whatever it was that he did to me back when he found me; it didn't look like it was supposed to heal me that quickly.

When I was asked how I felt, I just answered that I was fine. In fact, I was better than fine.

After the doctor declared it a miracle, Kiritsugu suddenly started to hasten my adoption. Even though the doctor insisted that I be tested some more, I was declined the tests and said that I was feeling fine. Kiritsugu quickly leaped on that opportunity to get me away from the operation table, figuratively speaking.

As we were sitting in the cab, Kiritsugu kept glancing at me from the corner of my eye. It looked like he wanted to say something, but couldn't say for some reason. I wonder if it has something to do with what the doctor was saying.

When we arrived to what appeared to be his home, I was mildly impressed. It was an old Japanese style house, and it was huge. Even the shed in the backyard looked like the traditional one from ages ago.

S I didn't really anything with me at the moment, we didn't have to take out any luggage. When we were inside, Kiritsugu asked me to sit in the living room. I followed since I was curious as to what he was going to say.

When we made ourselves comfortable by the table, he started. "I probably should have told you this before I adopted you, but… I am a Magus." He said bluntly.

I sat in silence as I waited for him to continue. When he didn't, I simply tilted my head to the side, my face remaining stoic.

"You look like you don't believe me." He said. I just looked at him with my natural look. Although for most people, my natural expression is usually a deadpan. He shook his head. "No, it doesn't matter, as long as I have told you, I am satisfied."

Before he could stand up, I spoke up. "Actually, I believe you. I was just waiting for you to explain it to me."

The slight widening of his eyes was the only thing that informed that he was surprised, but that too vanished and was replaced with a look that was as natural as mine. Although his natural expression looked more like a broken man's.

"You believe me?" he asked. I nodded in reply. "Well, you're taking this better than most."

I tilted my head. "Why?" I asked.

"I thought that most children would give more of a reaction after that." He admitted. "They're usually enthusiastic about learning that someone they know is a Mage."

I raised a curious brow at that. It was yet another thing about my childhood that I had missed. Irrational actions didn't really suit the emotionless child I was back then. Well, I'm more mature now, though I'm in a child's body, but still, I'd better start acting the way a child should, just to keep appearances. "So, you're a magician?" I asked.

He shook his head. "No. Mage and Magician are two different things." He said.

I hummed to myself and nodded. Well that was informing, but I don't really see what separates the two. "What's the difference?" I asked.

Kiritsugu paused for a moment and took his time to observe me. It must have been surprising for a child to show maturity like mine. Even with the child-like curiosity, I still asked calmly. "Well… Magicians are people who can use True Magic. While Mage, Magi or Magus, whatever you wish to call it, are people who perform Magecraft."

I tilted my head. "What's the difference between Magic and Magecraft?" I asked. This could be useful for the future. Whatever event I'm about to enter, I need to be prepared.

"Well…" he trailed off, searching for the right words. He's probably looking for words that aren't too big for me.

"You can use big words if you want." I urged him. He looked at me with a hint of curiosity and disbelief. I guess he didn't think that I could comprehend what he was about to say. "Just try me." I urged.

He nodded, albeit a little reluctant. "Okay... Magecraft is the ability to perform sorcery that could be duplicated through time and funds. While True Magic cannot be duplicated using the power of science or any sort of effort, do you understand?"

"Can you give me an example?" I inquired.

Kiritsugu nodded again, reluctantly. Whether I'm getting this or not, he didn't know, and it showed on his face. "For example: When a Magus raises a mound of dirt from the ground using his craft, it is considered Magecraft because anyone can perform it as well with the use of shovels. When a Magus generates a fireball, it is considered Magecraft because anyone can also perform the same effect with Molotov cocktails, understand?"

Molotov Cocktails? Well, if he was looking for a reaction out of me just because of explosions, I'm sorry to disappoint him. "So… as long as I can do the same magic with any type of device, it's considered as Magecraft?" I asked.

"Yes." He nodded, surprised again. Is it so unnatural for a kid to comprehend what adults are saying sometimes?

Why yes, now that I think about it. I wonder if I'm starting to creep him out. A child that rarely shows any emotion is not a normal thing, so it must be unnerving to watch.

"How about True Magic, then?" I asked.

"Well, I can't really tell you an example, only explain." Kiritsugu admitted. "The only thing I can tell you are the five True Magics that exists."

"Five?" I tilted my head. "Is True Magic really that rare?"

Kiritsugu nodded. "Yes. You have to understand, there are only so little things that cannot be explained by science anymore, that is why there are only a few True Magic left."

I nodded. That was understandable. I don't think Personas are True Magic since they are summoned using Evokers, even then, it was only through technology that the Persona even exist.

"How about these five?" I continued. "What are they?"

The look on Kiritsugu's seemed to show acceptance. He must finally acknowledge that I understand whatever he was saying. "I don't really know about the first and the forth. I do know that the second is called Kaleidoscope, the third…" he suddenly trailed off, as if thinking about something. "The third is called Heaven's Feel and lastly…" he shivered for some reason.

I tilted my head to the side, confused by the sudden stop. "What about the last?"

"_Mahou Ao_…" he whispered. I barely made out what he said. There was something in his voice that sad '_Taboo, this shit scares me'._

I raised a brow. "Magic Blue?"

After I said the word to confirm it, Kiritsugu's posture seems to have gone rigid. Then, his eyes started roaming around the room, as if looking for something.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

He shook his head. "Nothing." I ignored his earlier actions. He seems to be uncomfortable with the last True Magic for some reason. Funny thing about his reaction though, was that it looked like Akihiko's when Mitsuru mentions something about executions.

Now it was me who had to supress a shiver and not go rigid. I swear that woman was the human incarnation of my Persona, Skadi.

Looking at the clock on the wall, Kiritsugu noticed that it was getting late. "We should probably wrap this up." He said.

"Before that, could you explain to me why these five are considered True Magic?" I said. Like he said before, there isn't anything that science can't explain anymore, so I can't think of anything that cannot be duplicated using science. This is just to sate my curiosity.

"Well, I guess we can do that." He said. "But after this, I'll tell you more when you get settled in."

I nodded. I could accept that. This is a new world, so I need all the information I can get for the moment, especially since I'm stuck in a body that isn't allowed to go around the streets alone. "So, let's start with this Magic Blue." I said.

For some sick reason, I find it amusing to scare this man. When I said the topic that I wanted to know, he began looking around again and kept his pose on guard. It was funny. I could really get used to this teasing thing.

"Well, the… Magic Blue" he whispered after that short pause, when he was about to say the magic. Really though, it's a funny thing. "The true nature of it is still unknown, but they say that it has something to do with Time Travel."

"Time Travel?" I snorted. It's like the rebirth of the Shadows all over again. I just hope the practitioner isn't doing anything that could damage the future with something like that in their arsenal. God knows that it was because of madmen who wanted to control history that started the death of many.

"Yes, Time Travel." Kiritsugu said slowly, probably wondering where that snort came from. "Why? You don't believe me?"

I shook my head. "No, it's not that. It's just that I don't think that powers like that belong to humans." I stated, dazing off while still looking at Kiritsugu. "There are just some things that shouldn't be tampered with, whether someone is capable of it or not."

Kiritsuhu looked more intrigued, now. What I said probably shouldn't even be what a child should say. It sounded mature, like it was something of a past experience. Well, if you consider this body of mine as Time Travel, then this has got to be some cruel joke.

I shook my head, shaking of the daze. "Sorry. What were the other two?"

"Kaleidoscope and Heaven's Feel." He said, "Kaleidoscope is the operation of parallel worlds."

I twitched at that. I guess I know what to thank or blame for why I'm here at the moment. Parallel Worlds… Really?

"And the last one?" I asked.

"Heaven's Feel." Kiritsugi said slowly. "It is the materialization of the soul."

Now this time, I had to stop myself from banging my head on the table. The Third Magic sounds awfully like Persona Summoning for some reason.

From Orpheus' first words at the time when I had summoned him '_I am thou, and thou art I. From the __**Sea of thy SOUL**__ I cometh…'_

If the Third Magic is the materialization of the soul, then I must be considered a magician, if what I heard is right. I can probably do tha- wait…

I don't have an Evoker…

And since I had to use a device in order to summon my Persona, the Third Magic would be reduced into Magecraft. Well, I guess there's only Four True Magic left.

But for some reason, I realize that the connections I have to the three magic doesn't seem like a coincidence.

I'm blaming Igor for this.

"So." Kiritsugi started, snapping me out of that inner monologue. "Is that all for now?"

"Yes." I nodded. "I'll ask more if I need to know more about this Mage thing."

"Alright." He said, standing up and heading deeper inside the house. "You can choose any room you like; I'll be in mine if you need me." He called out while walking away.

As I kept staring at his back, I felt a familiar sensation enter my body. The world stopped, and I heard the sounds of a glass being smashed. A card floated within my vision. The Tarot of The Fool.

"_I am thou, thou art I. It is the beginning of a new journey. Innocence, Divine inspiration, Madness, Freedom, Spontaneity, Inexperience, Chaos, and Creativity; such is the mark of the Fool. May your new life grant you your wish."_

When the voice stopped, I couldn't but say what I had in mind.

"Well, that was different."

As I stood up, I began to look around the house. I might as well choose a big room for myself.

It's not so bad to act like a kid every once and a while.

* * *

**A/N:**

**Just something to look forward to. I'm still doing my other fic, but I'm currently on a block...T_T**


	2. Magecraft

Two years have passed since I was adopted by Emiya Kiritsugu. It had been kind of boring, truthfully. Even though I was living with a man who called himself a magus, there was little to do in the house, there was no proof of what he told me since he hasn't performed any Magecraft in front of me yet.

There was also that time when I learned a very valuable life lesson when living with my new adoptive father: he cooks worse than Fuuka Yamagishi.

We usually ordered take outs, but when I asked if we could have a home cooked meal, he decided to give it a try. And needless to say when I declared that he was worse than Fuuka at cooking, you better believe it.

How in the world can someone set water on fire, when it wasn't even on the stove yet?

It was then that I took the noble and sacred duty as the cook of the house. Child body or not, I can still cook. At least after that, we were finally able to eat healthy things.

After the cooking fiasco was over with, I asked my new father if he could teach what he could in Magecraft.

He bluntly refused.

It was surprising when he acted that way. I thought that he would have been more indifferent with the request, but ended up leaning onto the refusal.

There was no anger in his voice when he said 'No'. There wasn't even a tone to begin with. He only sat calmly while sipping his tea in the afternoon while sitting on the porch when he refused. That sort of thing confused me.

After a few days I tried again, but he still said 'No'. Now, I'm not really a persistent person, but when it comes to future events that I'm needed in, I can really be persuasive, especially since it looks like it's a requirement if what Igor hinted me was true. Although it was never said, Igor mentioned that I _could_ learn Magecraft.

Why whould I learn Magecraft when I had my Personas?

The answer would be because it will not be enough. Just like summoning Persona was required in order to combat the Shadows, so is Magecraft in whatever it is I'm needed in.

So, in order to get my father to agree, I used the thing our mostly-emotionless kind do when we wanted something: we use logic.

I reminded him that I was a kid. He nodded to that. I reminded him that we can be annoying. He nodded again at that. I reminded him that we kids usually throw some kind of fit in order to get what we wanted. He nodded again, this time it was a bit reluctant.

The next day when we had breakfast, I asked him to teach me. He refused. After the meal, I asked him again. He still refused. As I was washing the dishes the same morning, I asked him again. Still, he refused. When I came back and handed him his tea on the porch, I asked again. He refused. I gave him a pretty creepy smile after that.

Now, I was fairly sure that he already knew what I was doing. So now, it was time to test who had the most patience out of the both of us.

The little war we had lasted for about three days. I had kept asking him for every ten minutes; it didn't matter where he was in the house.

Even in the bathroom I kept asking.

I also didn't sleep in those three days. I sat beside his bed and kept asking him all night. If one were to ask, then yes, this was pretty tedious. But I was actually having fun when I kept asking him. There would always be that small, unnoticeable twitch in his eyes that would make me want to persevere no matter how long it took.

Did you know that if you did a certain action long enough and continuously, that action becomes a sort of muscle memory?

Kiritsugu knows. I definitely made him aware of that fact. On the third night, I had fallen asleep beside Kiritsugu's bed while sitting in Seiza. And apparently, my onslaught never ceased even while my consciousness wasn't present, and every single one of those onslaught was right on schedule on the ten minute mark.

Fourth morning when I awoke beside his bed, refreshed and ready for two more days on sleepless nights, he slowly sat up and said to me calmly with heavy bags under his eyes: "I will teach you what I can. But first, I am kindly asking you to stop disturbing my sleep."

With only a small tug at the edge of my lips, I complied. I started to properly call him 'Father' from then on, or some times, 'Dad'.

I was fairly disappointed when he started teaching me. It seems that my father's knowledge on Magecraft was limited, and only knew things that would benefit him in combat. He did, however, tell me about 'Magic Circuits'. Sadly, he was pretty vague about that. He said that it's like a nervous system that allows a person to become a magus. It's either he doesn't want me to learn Magecraft properly, or he's just not that good of a teacher.

In the end, I had to figure out how to 'Use' my circuits. When I did...

It hurt.

Badly.

I was lucky that I actually had Magic Circuits in my body, if not; I didn't know what would happen. It felt like my body was being burned by a Shadow using Agilao. It took me a while to get used to it, but I somehow managed. Now, it's like all I have to do is pull the trigger of an Evoker to access my circuits, although it's more like a mental image if anything.

I've also figured out something about Magic Circuits and how I previously use magic: Magecraft gives you body pain, while Persona magic gives you migraine. The Magic Circuits always made a quiet humming sound inside me when I use it though, that was always pretty amusing.

Also, I've been comparing the two ways I do magic. Magecraft is like those things in stereotype witches and warlocks do in fantasies: using runes, incantations, rituals and whatnot.

Persona magic is different because it only strains the mind, not using something similar to a nervous system to strain the whole body. If you think about it, Magecraft is sorcery while Persona magic is similar Psychic Powers. It would explain the headaches that I get when I overexert myself. Oh, and Takaya when _he_ summons his Persona.

There is also this thing that Kiritsugu called 'Prana', which is the equivalent to mp, sp, or ap in most rpg games that Junpei used to show me.

There are two types of Prana: Mana, the external magic source, and Od, the internal magic source.

Kiritsugu didn't explain anything to me about Mana since he only seems to use Od most of the time. Still, it was better than nothing.

Next lessons were Projection, Reinforcement, and Bounded Fields.

Kiritsugu commented that I was a pretty good at Projection and Reinforcement, but was pretty bad at Bounded Fields.

Again, I have a theory about this. Kiritsugu said that Reinforcement is something that pushes the existence of something to the utmost, providing me with a shaky explanation when he said that. He must've pulled it out of his memory since I didn't find any books lying around. In my case, it's somehow similar to my other Persona skills: Tarakuja, a spell that loosens the limiter to the brain in order to apply more power in the muscles; Sukukaja, a spell which enhances a person's agility, reaction time, and senses; Rukukaja, a spell that reinforces a person's muscles, bones, and overall resistance, physical or magical.

Reinforcement somehow was similar, in concept, to my other enhancement spells, only it uses all of it in one casting. That may be one of the reasons that I can be pretty good at it.

Projection is something that Kiritsugu said that is limited to the user's imagination, using prana to materialize it into the world. I also have an explanation to that.

I'm mostly asleep most of the time in class. I'm a dreamer, so imagination really isn't something that foreign to me. It also help that I used to have a game-addicted friend who showed me all his games. Those times also added to my imagination, as well as my imaginations on how to shut people up. As long as I know the thing I'm projecting, it was easy.

Bounded fields are harder for me. It's a whole new thing for someone who only used to point a make-shift gun to his head and pull the trigger before. It's like learning a new language that I've never heard of. Runes and Symbols aren't my thing, apparently. But I was still making progress with that branch of magic.

Oh, there's also this Structural Grasping Magecraft. I have to say, I've got no clue as to where to apply this little ability the first time it was taught to me. Apparently, it shows the user the structural composition, as well as the purpose of any object you use it on.

Well, it's always interesting to look at a machine from the inside out without you dismantling it, that sort of perk is always good. There also seem to be some history added to the blueprints.

I say. The things that people put in their garbage are both scary, and traumatizing. One of the sealed garbage I saw was half full of tissue paper, and I accidentally used Structural Grasping on those disturbing things.

Who the hell jacks off every two hours?

Alright, after those basics were taught to me, I had started experimenting on my Persona abilities, and I found out some delightful and horrible things about them.

My controls on my Persona abilities are down to horrendous levels. When I tried making a fire, all I got was a spark. It looks like I'm back square one on Persona Magic. On the bright side, it looks like my Magic Circuits are now being integrated with my Persona skills. Meaning I can keep spamming spells longer when I can get my magic back in decent levels. Right now, I can just make pretty looking fireworks at night without getting tired.

Kiritsugu also mentioned something about different types of magic that he couldn't use, but still learned the general idea of them. He never told me why he learned them even though he couldn't use them, but I had my suspicions.

There are also these little _Gandr _things. They sounded like some of my other Persona skills, the opposite of my enhancement skills: Tarunda, a spell that forces the mind to further the limitations of the body, weakening all muscle actions slightly; Rakunda, a spell that lowers an opponent's overall resistance to any physical or magical attacks; Sukunda, a spell that temporarily dulls every sense in the opponent's body.

The similarities of the Gandr to my Persona skills are that they both attack the health of the human body. Also, their target must be within their line of vision. But unlike from what I heard, Gandr is shot like a pistol from the fingers, while my Persona skills appear out of thin air, like a binding spell, as long as it is within my field of vision. In a way, my 'Curse' skills are superior to the Gandr in terms of accuracy, but in turn, my 'Curse' can only be effective once on an opponent until they wear off, while the Gandr can be fired multiple times.

There always seem to be ups and downs in this new world for me. Is there a law here in this world that demands my Persona skill to be equal to the Magecraft of this world? And that my own magic can't be better without any repercussions?

Oh, and I still haven't told Kiritsugu about my form of magic yet. I'll wait a few more days until I show him. It'll be easier to give an excuse if he saw me just experimenting on what he taught me, then 'accidentally' using elements.

Anyway, I've started my physical training for whatever it is that I'm going to take part into. It wouldn't do to have a weak body that's already in the form of a child. I don't know if that event is close, but I'm not risking it, it already took me months just to condition my body in order to last longer in the Dark Hour, there's no way I'm going to wait until the event had already started just to start my physical conditioning.

Kiritsugu also warned me that my Magecraft should remain a secret. No one must know, or else the Mage Association might come and get me.

Like the Boogieman.

I snorted at that. Father's dry humour is amusing, but most of the time I was laughing _at_ him. People like me who rarely show emotions openly, and people like father who looked like he just got his emotions back, were never good at this human interaction thing. It was mostly through luck that I managed to gain my Social Links previously in my world, and it was with the help of my Personas that I had managed to interact with them properly.

Alright, back to the Mage Association. From what Kiritsugu told me, it's a secret organization that ensures the secrecy of Magecraft from the world. They are the people that make sure that Mages do not step out of bounds from laws that they have set. Although, it did bother me that they wouldn't stop the Mages that would commit atrocities to other human beings as long as they don't endanger the secret world of _Magical Knickknacks_.

Oh, and aside from my secret life as a newly dubbed mage, we've also made friends with the neighbours.

"Minato-chan! I've come to _play~!_"

Wow. Speak of the devil and she will come.

Washing my hands from the sink, I grabbed a towel and began wiping them dry as I proceeded to the front door. I had just finished making breakfast, what a coincidence that our neighbour just happened to call out just as I was just about done setting up the table.

When I opened the door, I gave the person outside my good-natured, natural look. My deadpan eyes always get them. "Good morning, Tiger-san, did your owner not feed you yet?"

On the other side of the door was Fujimura Taiga, the hyperactive neighbour that has no crush on my father. Nope, none whatsoever. Currently, she's a high school student who is also a member of the kendo team. She was apparently the best one they have. Well, with that personal Shinai she has, I have little doubt in that.

The high school girl, whose name sounded similarly to Tiger in Japanese, pouted from my greeting. "Mou, that's not very nice, Minato-chan."

"Aye, that's why I'm doing it mostly to you because I know you don't mind." I answered back. "You also said that it was 'cute' that I was playing 'mature', so I'm not stopping this little comedy act any time soon."

The girl's pout just added more puff on her lips. "I'm still saying that you're just pretending, and trying too hard to act mature for your age." He countered.

"And thus, the inappropriate name calling will not cease." I said whimsically, already moving back into the house.

Tiger-san, or Fuji-nee I sometimes call her, usually comes over to our house for breakfast and dinner. No, it wasn't because she has a crush on my over-30 year old father, she just likes the company, nothing more, nothing less. She's being tutored by my father when he's at home, but most of the time she just comes over to eat, hangout, try to get me to show more emotions, or just observe father from a distance.

Speaking of emotions. I've finally gotten reign on them, and gotten rid of those spontaneous outbursts I was prone to whenever Fuji-nee came over. After I've gotten control of them, Fuji-nee's been trying really hard to bring back those outbursts again. She said that it was one of the things that kids usually do, and was normal.

I didn't really want to risk having multiple personality disorder, so I mostly kept Orpheus as my default Persona. My Persona list changed into something like an album now. If I wanted to, I could just close my eyes to see and feel the Personas I have in me. There were some black spots in the album, meaning that there were some Personas that I wasn't able to acquire, but I'm already happy with my current set.

My Personas are now properly categorized, and no longer jumbled up inside of me. It took me a while, but I managed to get them in order. The magic I got from them still didn't recover though, so I'm guessing that I have to do it the usual way again: Practice.

"So, is Kerry-kun still not home yet?" Fuji-nee asked, using the pet name that she gave him. When I first heard her call him, still somewhat emotionless man, that, I burst out in laughter.

But still, I don't blame her if she misses him. I also miss father when he goes off into his trips like these.

It's been a year since father started his around the world trips. He never told me where he went, but he usually ends up away from home for about a month or two, then lock himself in his room for a bit, talk to me about my progress, teach Fuji-nee a bit, and go off again. It's his fourth time right now. Fuji-nee's been the one taking care me… well, maybe it was the other way around. She just stops by for appearances sake, and also asks every other day if father's back or not.

I shook my head as I started setting up the table. "He's not home yet, but he should be back in a couple of days." I told her. It's usually around this time that father would come home. When he did, he'd tell me a few stories about his travels. Those were always fun, but I could tell that he was leaving out bits and pieces in his tales.

"How about you?" Fuji-nee asked me. "Are you going to school or are you just gonna skip again?" she asked threateningly.

Ah, yes. Back to this topic again. You know, it's hard for a nineteen year old to be stuck inside the body of a child. You already know most of the lesson that they were going to be teaching, yet you have no choice in the matter. You have to go back to elementary and start doing the unholy pilgrimage of youth again until college.

I've been skipping school every other day since I started. At first, my father, teachers, and Fuji-nee were displeased by this, treating my public education as second priority over my 'other' source of learning. The scolding was getting on my nerve, and it was pushing some of my Personas to take over and get me to blow them all to kingdom come. Those urges came mostly from two of my most powerful Personas in The Devil Arcana: Abbadon and Beelzebub.

So, for the sake of my sanity, and their lives, I wrote them a small mountain of essays about the curriculum of the grade just to shut them up. It was annoying, but it had to be done for the sake of my improvement in both of my magic. If that wasn't enough, I asked for an early mid-term exam, and if possible, the final exam. They did, and I shoved their education back in their faces. The mischievous Norse God, Loki, made sure that I had the right face when I did that.

Back to the present matter at hand, Fuji-nee was still waiting for my answer. "I'm skipping again." I answered truthfully. No point in delaying the inevitable.

"What!" she roared, slamming her hands on the table. The impact made everything on it rise for about 3 centimetres.

"Wow, she getting stronger. This time it rose another centimetre." I commented, putting away the ruler that I had taken out from the expected reaction of the high school girl.

"Minato-chan, you should really stop this rebelling." She chided. I paid her no mind and started filling up her bowl with rice. She quickly took it from me when I set it in front of her. "It's not good for you to keep yourself locked up alone in this house by yourself. You should go to school and make friends as well." She said before digging into her food. That was a nice thought, but I have more pressing matters to attend to.

"School is overrated." I said dryly, filling my own bowl before I started eating as well. "Besides, I'd rather not get bullied because of how I act, and I don't want other kids to think just because I'm smart, I can ignore them. That's not how it is, it's just that is how I am."

From across the table, Taiga frowned, lowering the bowl from her face so that she could see me. "You should really change that attitude of yours, Minato-chan; people will like you more."

I shrugged. "This is how I am. I can't change just like that, there's no way I could change my own origin." I said, adding a bit of inside joke. Father's also trying to find out my origin, whatever that was. "It's not about adapting to other people that one manages to obtain true friends, it's about understanding them and being able to reciprocate their feelings."

Fuji-nee looked at me, tilting her head to the side. "Is that quote from a fortune cookie?" she asked.

"Your deductive skills astound me sometimes, Fuji-nee." I said, shaking my head in amusement. I just made that up on the spot actually. "So anyway, I'm not going to school."

"You're going and that's final." She said sharply, managing to say the words coherently while shoving her face full of rice. I guess this is just another way for her to show that she cares.

"Que sera sera…" I sang before going back to my food.

* * *

After I was sure that Fuji-nee had gone off to school, I casually walked over to the shed in the backyard. It wouldn't do to have someone walking in while I was working on improving my magic.

When I arrived in the shed, I looked around to see if there was something important that I might break. Aside from the cloth that covered the floor, there was nothing else.

"Well, I guess I can't deny that father _might_ be a magus."

I shifted the cloth slightly with my feet as I looked at the floor closely. I knelt down and traced a scratch on the wooden floor- no, it wasn't a scratch. If it was, it wouldn't have been in an almost perfect arc. This was something else, something that I noticed when I pushed my reserves to a minimum and collapsed face first in the floor a few nights ago.

"Trace on…"

As I whispered the Aria, my mind was suddenly filled with information about the scratch that I was touching. Apparently, what I'm touching currently is a faded circle with runes and symbols that I don't recognise.

_Tracing_. A little word that suddenly popped up in my mind after doing countless Structural Analysis on every object in the house after a day of rest and boredom. It seemed to fit what I was doing with Structural Analysis. I was using my prana in order to 'Trace' the target object, allowing me to 'see' the object in my mind, and even grant me some coded information from the object.

I have a little theory about this little seemingly mundane spell. When I use the spell, I immediately gain the information of the object that I used it on, but the question is 'How did I know it?'. When I was mulling over this little question, I had my eyes closed and was tapping my lower lip.

It was only when I rubbed my lip that it hit me.

Braille

It was something similar to Braille reading, the method of using touch in order for the blind to read. The sight and touch can only grasp the surface, but using prana to deliver the information to the mind of the mage, it becomes possible with the 'Touch' of prana. The structure, the components, the history, can all be known, can be 'Traced' to the point of the objects' creation. Again, by using prana as a make-shift microscope, they can treat the materials as blood, and the data as DNA. If probed deeper, the history, time of existence can be treated as molecules and cells!

The simple spell was of _Pure_ genius. Why people just brush this method off escapes me.

If this method was combined with projecting, it would be possible to create a complete replica of any object, along with every detail if the data collected from the object is complete. This theory seemed feasible since the information about the object is complete and no longer just using the user's imagination to fill up the blanks.

Combine that with _Reinforcement!_

It almost made me drool. Since Reinforcement is something that pushes an existence to its utmost, it would be possible to keep a projection to last for more than a handful of seconds.

I can't even begin to _think_ of the possibilities!

The only problem would be the steps of this procedure. Structural grasping will be not a problem since it will be the one to provide the blueprints, which would obviously be the start. The projecting process, however, would be the tricky part. I can't just project anything with just a snap. I want it to be _Exactly_ like the original.

But enough of that for now. I have to focus on this magic circle that seemed to have been crafted a few while back. Well, since father doesn't seem to be all that interested in practicing Magecraft anymore, I might as well sate my curiosity of this art.

As I further analysed the circle, I couldn't help but be drawn to the way it was made. It was certainly used for some sort of ritual or something. But alas, even the analysis could not tell me what it was for, only telling me that I was there before the great fire. I still didn't have full mastery of the spell, but I'm definitely getting there.

"What were you made for?" I whispered inside the empty shed.

Shaking my head, I stood up and began to leave. I was just intrigued about that circle, but can't quite grasp what it was for. I would ask father about on a later date when he come back, but for now, I have to go to town to get some grocery.

Magecraft can wait after food.

* * *

"Hey, kid!"

I stopped in mid-step as I heard someone call. Usually I would ignore the call, but for some reason, it's been yelling at me for quite some time now. Well, the caller was actually on the other side of the street before, but now he was behind me.

When I turned around, I couldn't help but say. "Uh oh."

In front of me was a guy in blue uniform. If you haven't guessed it, it's a cop. "Hey kid, didn't you hear me calling you earlier?" he asked, sporting an annoyed look, and just got more annoyed by looking at my impassive face.

I shook my head. Well, I guess I'm in trouble. "No sir." I lied. "But I try not to look at people who call me. I've always been told not to talk to strangers." Yeah right. Mentally, I'm deadpanning while sticking my tongue out. That's a likely story.

"Shouldn't you be in school?" the cop asked. "Moreover, what's that?" he pointed at the bag in my hands.

"Groceries." I deadpanned. Why is it that people ask the most obvious things? The plastic bag in my hand is already filled with cooking ingredients, why can't he have the common sense that it's for cooking?

"Why are you the one buying them?" he asked raising a brow. "Shouldn't you leave that to your parents?"

Oh great, he's interrogating me now. Just because I look like a nine year old. I really have no time for this, but it can't be helped, I guess. Alright, might as well have a little childish fun to get away from this guy.

Instead of answering the question of the cop, I asked him. "Say officer, are you married?"

Halting the current investigation on me, he started looking sheepish while blushing like a school girl, as if remembering something. "W-Well, we're not married yet. B-But I was going to propose soon. Why?"

Oh great, he's one of those pathetic main characters that I read in mangas who can't seem to find the right opportunity to ask a girl out. This is going to put a blow on my conscience. But it's either him, or get my father in trouble.

"Were you cheating on her by any chance?" I asked innocently while tilting my head.

The man began to splutter while denying my claim. "W-WHAT! I would never do such a thing!"

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Of course!" the man said absolutely, crossing his arms and nodding with a stern face. Okay, this is really going to deal a heavy blow on my conscience. But in my defence, I'm still a kid in physical aspect filled with many Personas of mischief and whatnot. Well, here goes…

"But mister, if that's true…" I pointed at his crotch while pulling the trigger in my head to use a small Agi skill. "Why are your pants on fire?"

Looking at me dubiously, the officer was about to retort before he stopped whatever he was about to say when he felt his pants getting warm. Looking down, his pants actually _were_ on fire.

As the officer started rolling on the ground comically, crowds started to gather while there was the occasional scream of "WATER!". You'd think that he would be yelling 'Fire' instead.

While all that was going on, I snuck out of the crowd and began to walk calmly into an alley. It wouldn't do to get caught a second time. I'm already risking father with my cutting of classes. It'll just get worse if I get caught by the authorities.

However, before I could walk to the path of my home, I felt a pull from within me.

"Okay, that was weird." I muttered.

Before I could take another step I felt another pull, this time I could tell it was pointing to somewhere. Now this was getting a little creepy. I haven't felt a pull like that ever since I summoned a Persona. It felt like something was forcibly pushing out of my soul and wants to materialize in the world.

Not feeling like wanting to have another appearance like Thanatos did on my first summoning, I followed the pull to a nearby park.

It was a normal park: swings, slides, benches, horizontal bars, jungle gym. What caught my attention however was the kid on the jungle gym. He looked close to my physical age, but something about him feels off.

It was a foreigner, or at least he looked like one. He had blond hair, which would be my first clue of his nationality. He was staring at the sky, smiling at nothing. When I began to walk closer, he turned his head to me.

I was met with red slitted eyes. It wasn't threatening, or scary, it had the look of a child who was just… happy.

"Hello." He said.

Okay, the kid is really weird. It feels like I'm in a presence of a shadow, but also has an aura of a Persona. It was somewhere in between.

Shaking my head from the thought, I looked back at the kid. "Hey." I greeted back.

No one said anything after that. It was awkward, but I didn't really know how to start a conversation with the kid. I feel that there's something weird about him.

"So…" the kid started. "I'm Gil. What's your name?"

Yup. Definitely weird.


	3. Father and Son

**RealmOfEmptiness: **That little scrip you did cracked me up. I'm definitely gonna put that somewhere in the story. The event with Sakura will be a different, but in the end it'll lead to her coming to his home. Rin? Minato's just gonna piss her off and she'll become competitive with being number 1; just the typical king and queen of school thing. Is he gonna summon early? Nope. Kerry never wanted Minato to learn Magecraft (the same with Shirou) he only began teaching because Minato just annoyed the hell out of him. Teaching Minato a little, that he can do, but entering him to a bloody tournament where it was the cause of the huge fire in Fuyuki? There's a line that must never be crossed, but he didn't know that it was in ten years after the last one... so... meh.

To the rest who are wondering if Minato's gonna have the UBW, relax.

No, he will not get the Unlimited Blade Works; the tracing is just an experiment that I was going to use in the future. What Minato will have, however, has something to do with his Personas, the compendium that Elizabeth gave him, The Root and The Throne of Heroes. There is only one person out there that I have informed of what I'll do, but I don't think he'll spoil it for anyone.

Also, since I'm not sure which one of Gil's personality to use, I'll only put some short conversations for them. Because? With the way I write it, it'll just end up as comedy banter between a polite Gil, and a very sarcastic Minato.

* * *

The sounds of shinai's clashing echoed in the spacious dojo in the Emiya residence, along with multiple roars from one of the two combatants. Each swing the person releases would usually put most adults to their knees, but the person's opponent had a way to counter their strength.

Taiga once again swung her shinai at her opponent with more force than the last, but her opponent, someone that was shorter, younger… smarter, just parried her blow by letting her shinai connect with his before letting Taiga's weapon slide down the length of his bamboo sword by tilting his weapon downward to his side just as the force of the blow ended, yet keeping a firm grip on his weapon so that his own weapon wouldn't slide down, following his opponent's. It also helped that he was very flexible, and has great reflexes.

The end result was that Taiga over-swung her shinai, and her opponent took the opportunity to get a clean hit to her side.

"Gah!" Taiga cried out, holding her side. It wasn't a strong blow, not even hard enough to bruise, but it hurt enough to sting.

From the side, watching the whole thing, Emiya Kiritsugu, my adoptive father, started clapping his hands. "Impressive match." He praised. "Especially you, Minato-kun."

Balancing the shinai by my side, I wiped away the trail of sweat that travelled down my forehead. "Thank you, dad." I said. Looking over to the over-dramatic display of Taiga's wailing, I pointed my shinai at her. "What's wrong Tiger-san, losing your touch, or are you just hungry?"

Pausing from her comically dramatic wailing, Taiga pointed her finger at me in return while addressing to Kiritsugu. "Waahh! Kerry-kun, Minato-chan was cheating!"

"Now now, little tiger." I chided, wagging a finger at her direction in a scolding way. "Just because I don't follow the proper rules of Kendo, doesn't mean I was cheating."

"But!" she persisted.

"He's right, Taiga." Kiritsugu interrupted. "You're just more used to kendo, that's why you're having trouble with him. This was a match, but no one said it would be a _proper_ Kendo match." then he looked over to my direction. "Though it makes me wonder, Minato-kun; how are you so good with the sword, even being able to beat Taiga, someone who's taller, faster, has more experience, and has better reach than you?"

"Anime." I answered simply. "I also have faster reflexes. My height is also an advantage, not the other way around. And I have a special skill called Arms Master, allowing me to use anything as a weapon with great proficiency, shinai included." I declared, going into a heroic pose that Junpei usually did back then.

Both Kiritsugu and Taiga blinked, the latter forgetting all about her tantrum just because of what I said. After a few seconds, both sighed in exasperation at the same time.

"At least he's acting like a child." Taiga muttered.

"I just hope he starts going to school properly." Kiritsugu said depressingly.

What both didn't know was that Arms Master was a true skill that I just re-learned from tinkering with myself using meditation, it also helped that I have experience on most type of weapons. It was boring to meditate, but being able to shift the cards in your soul, it was pretty easy to grasp it, and try to… 'Dig Deep' as they say, into one's soul.

Arms Master helps cut the burden on using some of the more physical attacks of Personas. This is also true when the Persona user is trying to copy the move with their own body, and without the Persona. With the help of the physical enhancing magic of the Persona, it was possible for me to use some of the weaker skills of the Personas with only my own flesh body.

My favourite was the Tempest Slash, even though it was the hardest one I tried to do, where I was able to make two slashes with only one swing. Though, I never used it in a real battle, because my body wasn't used to that kind of movement, even with the enhancements. The move only needed good wrist rotation near the end of the swing, and the slash never lost any power, making one slash into two.

Fortunately, with my conditioning, my body will be able to execute the move once I'm older with only minor backlash. Yay.

"This shouldn't even be happening!" Taiga wailed, going back to her dramatic tantrum again, which both adopted father and son did not stop because it was amusing. "How could a brat beat the ace of the Kendo team!?"

I puffed out my sweaty chest. "Tis because thou sucketh."

"What was that!" the high school tigress pounced at me, not unlike one of the big cat families; it was pretty intimidating if it weren't for that fact that I was used to the attack. I merely swung my shinai down on her head before she even got close to me, and viola, 'Welt on head a la Taiga'.

"Down, Tiger-san, lest I not feed you tonight." I said, poking the downed high school student with the weapon that caused her little bump on the head. At the mention of food, Taiga seemed to have been revived by the elixir of life, and grabbed on to my little body like leech.

"Food!" she practically screamed the word at my face, her eyes were like that of a hungry beast, which was a bad time for me to tease her.

"Already prepared." I told the hungry Tiger. "It's in the kitchen, help yourse-!" Before I could finish what I was going to say, a trail of dust appeared leading out of the dojo, and unsurprisingly, Fujimura Taiga was nowhere in sight. "Dad, are you sure Fuji-nee isn't a magus?" I asked the amused looking man by the side of the dojo. "I was pretty sure she was using reinforcement."

"Not even reinforcement could make someone that fast." Kiritsugu shook his head, standing up and walking over to me. "Though are you sure it's safe to let her eat first? We might not have any food left if we get there."

"Those were cruel words, father." I told the man in a mock-scolding manner. "But have no fear; I set up a bounded field in the corner of the kitchen where our share is hidden."

Looking at me curiously, Kiritsugu asked. "What type of bounded field did you use?"

"A Marin Karin bounded field." I answered.

"Marin Karin?" he asked, though looking as if he recognized the words. I don't really know were the terms come from, but they've been the ones that Mitsuru said they were called.

"A type of hypnosis barrier that compels people to do what the set command installed in the barrier is programmed to do. For example, the type of command that I installed on the bounded field was 'Ignore', as long as people are not aware of the hypnosis, they'll be compelled to follow the set command."

Back in Tartarus, we actually thought that Marin Karin was 'Charm' spell, when in actuality, it was a hypnosis spell. If it was charm, then the affected individual would have been a drooling fanboy/fangirl. I shudder at the thought. If the affected one was only charmed, their movements would have been sloppy, but the affected were still fighting with one hundred percent of their battle capabilities. They didn't look like they were distracted by their so called 'Charmer', either. It would have been easier if they were charmed, because it'll just take some talking to end the spell, but if they were in a trance, like ones affected by the spell, it was pretty hard to get a word in their head.

The Marin Karin bounded field was a little project I thought off. Believe it or now, it was Taiga that gave me the inspiration and the drive to perfect the barrier.

She seems to always know where I hide my secret stash of melon breads. Damn, untrained cat.

So, with great resolve (for the sake of my sweets), the multiple types of bounded fields were born. Yes, Taiga was a great guinea pig, it seems.

The Marin Karin Bounded field is a barrier that _strongly_ suggests a thought inside the person that lay eyes on them. Like the 'Ignore' command, where if you were to see the barrier and its contents, a _great_ thought to ignore it will pop into your mind. The only problem of this is that it only works on people that are _outside_ the barrier, and they have to look at the barrier in order for the command to be suggested in their head.

The Pulinpa Bounded field, where it trapped person will have their sense of direction become inverted. It worked when Taiga wanted to come in to the house, but when she steps inside, she always turns around, mutter something, and walks out the door again. It repeated ten minutes before I tore it down, I didn't want her 'Panicking' that the house was haunted, and won't let her in.

I've also got the 'Evil Touch' and 'Bewilder' Bounded field. The former making anyone looking at what's inside feel like they're looking at a haunted object, the latter attacking the psyche of the ones inside by putting pressure on their emotions and making them distress.

I could still use the spell versions by concentrating on the target, but they seems to be weaker compared to Bounded Field Versions.

I could also layer the fields. I even combined the 'Evil Touch' with the 'Marin Karin' bounded field on the corner of the living room.

Whenever I sat there, I'd activate the field. The Marin Karin was set to the command of 'Look', the ones outside are highly recommended to 'Look' at what's inside the field, while the 'Evil Touch' was making her feel afraid the more she kept staring at me in the corner.

That was what she got when she dared to eat my stash in front of me without a care.

Looking a bit proud and curious, Kiritsugu placed a hand on my shoulder. "That's a great work, how did you do it? I've known Bounded fields that do the same."

"Experiments." I answered. "You've only taught me three, so I might as well master them." We both left the dojo. Even from the halls, we could hear the sounds of Taiga ravaging the plates that I prepared for her. "I've been using Structural Grasping on almost everything I see. And as I told you, I've been tinkering on the types of Bounded Fields, though there's still a lot of stuff about it that I don't dare to exploit yet, but in time I will. I've also been reinforcing the things in the house, like the table and the bowls we use. The way Taiga slams her bowls on the table for dramatics after she declares she's full, I don't think the ones we have would last a few weeks."

"That's pretty sneaky of you." Kiritsugu commented.

"Well, you're not really the one who cleans the stuff she breaks." I countered. "Though the training did cost us two plates… I should have known better than to try and reinforce things without practice."

"At least you're learning." He praised. When we both got to the living room, Taiga was almost done with the offering that I made for the hungry tiger. "Though, Minato-kun, you should stop antagonizing Taiga, you might become a bully." He said, probably because he thought that I didn't know any better.

"Nonsense, father." I told him, waving my hand dismissively with a deadpan smile on my face. "I know when to antagonize and who to make fun of. I only do it to Tiger-san because she doesn't seem to want to act her age, while I'm just acting mine."

"You're doing this on purpose." He accused.

"Why father, I am appalled by such accusations." I said, though my face didn't even so much as change. "Such cunning cannot be found in a child such as me. Why, you'd think that I'd be some kind of teenager who was leading a bunch of others in an epic quest, but died and was sent to a different dimension and was reincarnated inside a child's body." I shook my head in mock-disbelief. "Tut tut, father. Now, who's being childish?"

I went over to the kitchen to retrieve our share for lunch as I heard Kiritsugu say "That was pretty specific."

* * *

Night has fallen, and Taiga had already left after dinner. Both me and my father sat on the porch, sipping the tea that I made.

It was a calm night, there wasn't even a cloud in the sky, and the stars were in the sky for all to see. Though, with a smile of irony on my face, Kiritsugu's face was the one that seemed clouded at the moment. From the looks of it, there's something on his mind that he wants to ask. And the question looked like it was aimed at me.

"Penny for your thoughts, dad?" I asked, locking my features. Looks like my hints were finally being put together.

"Minato-kun…" he started, turning his head so that he could look at me properly. "Tell me the truth: who are you, really?"

"That, I've already told you, dad." I answered, taking a small sip from my tea. "That's not the kind of question that I could answer properly."

"Then let me ask again: what are you?" he asked, his face turning serious.

I shook my head. A small twitch of my lips appeared on my face as I was fighting the urge to smirk. "For that question, I'd say I'm human. But with what you've taught me, I'd say I'm a magus." I looked down at my tea, visibly frowning as my eyes began to cloud. "But for what I was before you found me… I guess you could call me a coward." I looked up from my cup, and shifted my gaze to the stars.

Kiritsugu's face softened, and now looking concerned. "Minato-kun…"

"Tell me, dad…" I started. "Would you like to hear a story? The story of a hero, who took the coward's way out?"

Kiritsugu didn't say a thing. I made a small smile before looking back at me tea.

"The story begins from the hero's tragedy, locking his fate into a single future. The hero was only a child when it happened, where he lost both his parents, and where all of his feelings were lost. On the bridge where his fate was locked, he saw a glimpse of Death, and from there, it lingered inside of him. Through his life, he never gained friends, but if he did, he could not remember. Everyone saw him different, for he showed no emotion."

I gave out a bitter laugh.

"It was because of that, that he was considered as an outcast. No one wanted to get close to him, no one wanted him… but it didn't matter for the hero, because he was the same for them."

From the corner of my eye, I saw Kiritsugu frown. I ignored the reaction, and continued.

"Ten years had passed since his parents' death, and he was still the same. In those ten years, he was passed from relative to relative since no one wanted him. When he was old enough, his relatives cut all ties with him, leaving him on his own. From there, he found himself going back to the place where he became what he was."

I took a long sip from my tea. My father's attention was solely on me.

"He continued living like usual, but without even caring for whatever it was around him. That soon changed, however, when he found something… something that allowed him to find what he had lost, and what he had been missing in his life."

Seeing my cup empty, I set it aside for now, and focused on the backyard. My father did the same, but his ears were still to my story.

"He found friends, people to love, comrades, his feelings, and... a purpose. What happened to him from ten years in the past allowed to him gain power that no normal human should possess."

Kiritsugu's attention snapped back to me again. I smirked a little, finding my father's reactions amusing.

"He gained the power of Persona." I held out a hand in front of me and used Projection to create a velvet blue and black card. On the back of the card was a mask cut in half inside a circle, where the colours of both sides were inverted from the other, along with the pointed rays that surrounded the mask. On the other side was a picture what looked like a mechanical puppet, but the head seemed to be human. The figure was carrying a harp on its back.

I took the card before it landed on my hand, and passed it over to Kiritsugu, who began examining it the moment it was in his hands.

"He along with his friends were able to use this power. Persona is the ability to manifest the masks of their souls, usually in the form of heroes from legends."

All of a sudden, Kiritsugu's neck snapped over to me again, his eyes were wide and unbelieving. Whatever it was I said it seemed to surprise him into shock.

"The hero, however, was special." I continued, looking away from Kiritsugu in order to continue my story. "He had the power to call upon multiple Personas. Their task was to venture, and unravel the mysteries of a mysterious tower they called 'Tartarus'. They fought the twelve guardians in every full moon. That journey was not without any pain, however."

I sighed, closing my eyes in regret.

"They were given the experience of loss. They failed to save one of their comrades, and they also felt what it was like to be betrayed and be used."

For a brief moment, I clenched my fist and gritted my teeth. But I switched my Persona to Thanatos, and effectively killed all of my emotions. My father looked unnerved by my sudden shift of emotions to… none.

"The twelve guardians that they fought were actually the beings that were preventing the revival of the thirteenth." I leaned back and made myself comfortable, looking ahead at nothing. "The thirteenth guardian was actually Death. The same Death that was inside of the hero."

Kiritsugu's suddenly twisted into a grimace. If I didn't have Thanatos right now, I would have done the same.

"With the death of the twelve, the thirteenth gained a body, and manifest itself to the world on its own. It changed itself into something… human, and also became the hero's friend."

Again, a look of surprise appeared on Kiritsugu's face. "They became friends?"

I nodded. "They became friends because… the Death seemed to have gotten the emotions that were supposed to have been the hero's in the past ten years."

The revelation once again caused surprise on the man, his tea left to cool in the night. He seemed to have even forgotten about it.

"But all good things must come to an end and in the hero's case… the end of Everything."

Kiritsugu's brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"The Death… Ryoji, was not the cause of the end… he was merely the beacon to guide NYX to the promised day."

"NYX?"

"A shadow figure that stood at or near the beginning of creation."

Kiritsugu's eyes widened. "Root?"

"No, it's not that. NYX is born of chaos, with Erebus, deity of shadow and darkness, by her side. She was said to be the mother of many personified Gods. It was her that Ryoji was drawing in."

"What happened to the hero?" Kiritsugu asked.

"Ryoji gave him a choice." I said slowly. "Live and struggle the inevitable, or live in blissful ignorance until the end." My lips formed an emotionless smile. "The hero, even with all of his friends encouraging, the powers he possessed, the lives that were on his shoulders… chose the coward's way out, and everything ended when they all unaware."

With my expressionless face, I started looking bored while I told the rest of the tale.

"Ryoji was also a Persona." I looked at Kiritsugu, his face once again surprised. "He took the form of Thanatos, the personification of death, and one of the so called children of NYX."

"Is that… how the story ends?" he asked.

I smirked. A cold, cynical smirk. "Actually, that was volume one. The next is currently in progress, where unknown beings gathered and forced the hero into another quest. They took his ability to summon his Personas, but did not take them away. They changed his body into that of a child, and left him to die in a hellish environment. His powers were shot, his body was weak, his mind was confused… but they knew that he would survive. Even with the true Thanatos out of the hero's body, it was still a part of him just like any of the Personas inside of him; it was engraved into his soul."

Pieces of the puzzle were coming together, and a sort of 'Truth' was forming. Even though I held back on some of the details, I knew that Kiritsugu understood that it would be painful for me. For that, I thank him.

Kiritsugu looked down into his tea, opting a solemn expression. "And then…" he started, picking up where I left, knowing already where the story was going. "The hero was rescued, and adopted by a broken man." He sighed. Both of us looked up into the sky. "The man started teaching the hero the ways of his world by teaching him magecraft."

I smiled, feeling that my father understood what I wanted to tell him. "Though the hero was still mourning over the death of the people in his world…" I picked up. "He was happy with his new adoptive father. He was given the chance to know what it was like to have a father again, and with their eccentric neighbour, a little/big sister."

"The man…" Kiritsugu continued. "was also happy that he could save someone. The hero gave the broken man salvation from all the sins he had committed in his life. Instead of taking a life, he saved one, and was now raising that one life in atoning."

"The hero was grateful to the man that he now called a father." I continued. "Even though he could still not let go of the past, he wanted to face the future with his new father and enjoy it."

"The broken man's name was Emiya Kiritsugu, a man that did many things that he was not proud of, but continued for the sake of his ideal." He said.

"And the hero's name, adopting the family name of his father, but never letting go of his old one, was Arisato Emiya Minato, the once leader of a band of teenagers that were given powers in a cruel twist of fate."

I shifted in my seat, and faced my Kiritsugu whilst kneeling. I bowed my head, and smiled.

"Thank you for taking care of me, and treating me like your own son, father."

He looked at me and smiled, one that was full of happiness, and the same one that he gave me when he found me in the fire. "I also thank you for saving this foolish man. And I am proud to call you my son, even if not by blood."

I returned my father's smile, a genuine smile after the deaths of my friends. Even if they are gone, I am still here. They still live in my heart, and I will never forget them.

**_I am the vessel of their souls…_**

I may mourn, I may feel sad, I may miss them, but the memories that I have of them, good or bad, will always be with me. We are all connected by the bonds that we share, because they are with me.

Forever

**_Their hearts I carry… their burdens I bore…_**

And with that, our night of peace continues.

* * *

**A/N:** So... first two lines of Minato's Aria.

He may not get the UBW, but C'MON! He's too distorted to not actually have a reality marble... there's also a fact that the personification of death, THANATOS, was sealed inside him. Having that is definitely going to fuck up you perception to the world... and life in general.

Anyway... R&R! Taiga! The readers have food!

Taiga: WHERE!


	4. Golden Kid

A few months had passed since I told my story to my father. Not much has changed since then, all except for the questions he had on my type of magic. I told him that it had mixed with my magecraft, but I could still use the same principles of the Persona skills.

Fire, Ice, Wind, Elec, Holy, Dark, and Almighty are still within my grasp. The more I use the elements, the better my control over them improves, and with every use, my circuits get more used to them. I've gotten back the –Dyne skills, but the drain is still too much for me to keep spamming, so I need to work on my output of the skill, or just let my circuits adapt.

After hearing about what I used to call upon my Persona, he got curious and asked me if I could project it for him. Since I didn't know the inner mechanics of the Evoker, all I did was give him something that looked like it. He was specifically curious about the meaning of S.E.E.S.

After that, I asked him about that hidden box he had in his room that has so many small bounded fields. At first he was reluctant to even say a word about it, but after remembering what I had told him, he threw out his hesitation and actually showed me what was inside the box.

For some reason, I had to stop my drool from trailing down my mouth as I automatically used Structural Grasping on the thing.

The Thompson Contender, a work of art that combines magecraft and modern weaponry. I could see the history of the magnificent weapon. If I ignore the brutal things that it entailed, like shooting those origin bullets, it was a fine piece of work.

I had found myself imagining that I was pulling the trigger. The end result in my head was… not so epic.

The recoil of the thing was enough to topple me if I actually fired it, add in a little roll or two at the pull of the trigger. The weight of the gun was too much for me to lift without any reinforcement, and even then the recoil would still drop me flat in my back.

It was an amazing piece of equipment, but I would need a few more years just to HOLD the thing properly. I already know that father wouldn't even let me touch the thing, but then again, I have my Structural Grasping to memorize the entire blueprints of the weapon; Projection to allow me to create a duplicate; and Reinforcement to allow it to materialize for a few good hours.

Though, the bullets in the tiny case beside the gun would forever haunt me in my dreams.

Well… not really. If one would use Structural Grasping on a raw steak, they'll actually see the history of the meat, how the animal died, how it was chopped piece by piece, tenderized, and put on display on the market.

Needless to say, Fuji-nee never allowed me to tell scary stories

Ever

Anything that look like steaks are also off the menu

Though enough about enlightening tales, for now. I've gone back to school again, only because I was bored and I need inspiration on newer ways to integrate my Persona magic to my magecraft.

"Still…" I sighed, thinking how the teachers were impressed by my marks in school. "Having the knowledge of a teenager feels like cheating… I just hope they don't mark me up as a genius."

Hearing the sudden shift in the air beside my ear, I instinctively raised my arm. Something made contact with my forearm, though it was a little too soft to have done any injury.

As the thing that hit me bounced harmlessly away from me, I took a good look at it and couldn't help but raise a brow. "A soccer ball?" I said. I looked over to where the ball came from, and who it was that kicked it. When I saw who it was, I smiled slightly, and I saw that the person also did the same. "Is this a declaration for a challenge?" I asked teasingly.

The kid that kicked the ball to me smirked, making his usually kind appearance seem dangerous, yet playful at the same time. "Maybe." He answered vaguely, though the message was pretty clear.

I looked over behind him and saw that there were kids behind him that were also part of the school that I attended at. Each and every one of the kids were looking eagerly at me, also delivering the message similar to the first kid that kicked off the challenge.

Returning the dangerous smirk to the kid, I shrugged off my bag. It was just afterschool, and there were parents that were also eager to see the match between me and the kid that kicked the ball. It was one of the events after school that everyone was really expecting; parents, high school students, middle school students, and elementary students. It was a popular little duel in the form of soccer that escalated into an epic showdown.

So far, all games ended in a draw between me and the kid.

"All right then, young master." I started, making the people watching the interaction between us smile excitedly. "I accept this challenge, though I do so hope that you are prepared to lose this time."

"As if one such as I would lose to someone like you," the kid smirked, though I could tell that he was enjoying our little banter greatly. "Let us begin then, Mongrel."

I snorted, shaking my head with an amused grin on my face. "But of course, my little Golden King." I said, giving him a nickname based on his mannerism of old nobility, and the colour of his hair.

Both of us stared at one another, making the people looking on lean in closer. What first started from a tiny group of parents became a crowd of spectators. Everyone close enough to the little park with a makeshift soccer field had come to see another day of epic showdown.

What first started as a little game of pass between Gil, the interesting kid that I saw a few months back, and the kids that were playing after school became a show-off competition when they invited me to join.

We first began to show off our air passes, then a set of impressive ball control, _then_ acrobatic displays. In the end, it led to a game of competitive soccer, with an _actual_ referee by the end of the game.

We didn't know when the guy got there, but Gil and I didn't really care because we were too engrossed into our play that we almost lost track of time the first time.

Ever since then, a referee was always ready to call the game between us. Whoever the guy was, he sure was a fanatic. Seriously, where in the world did that guy get a full uniform?

As the elementary students got into position… though, it looks like Gil had been teaching them about the rules of soccer since they all look like they were serious about this.

In the center of the field, both me and Gil were already doing the cliché face off.

Gil looked me in the eye, his usually innocent red ones looking more ferocious than before. "I don't know how you're keeping up with me, mongrel, but today a victor will finally be decided."

Slightly lowering my head, my eyes were looking up at him, my posture giving me a slightly threatening look. "And who, my dear King, would be the victor?"

Gil scoffed, raising his head while looking down at me with his eyes even though we were both the same height. "You may squirm, like the worm you are, all you like, but in the end you will be put down where you belong: on the ground, grovelling before me."

In response to the insult, I simply bowed to him, as if taking a compliment instead from someone of a higher stature. Gil couldn't help but raise a brow at my action. "You flatter me, my King. To even allow this lowly worm to reach thine eyes, and catch the attention of someone such as majestic as you, if only briefly… _I am elated._"

From Gil's, now, towering form before my bowing self, the competitive tension has risen to a whole new level. Some of the people that witnessed the slight verbal war that Gil and I just traded were now on the edge of their seats, and the ones that were standing were leaning forward too much that they could fall over with just a single tap.

The acting referee stepped up between us with a coin in his hand. Showing us that it was real, he glanced at Gil first, who was still looking down, and to me, who had stood straight again. "Alright, who's gonna call?"

"If you would." I said, gesturing to the smug-looking blond, who looked at the coin and scowled.

"Not with that filthy thing." said Gil, looking at the coin with a bit of disdain. "Only a proper coin should be used whilst I am on the play." reaching inside his pocket, he tossed something to the teenage referee.

At the sight of the object, I couldn't stop raising a brow and blowing a long whistle. "At first I thought you just looked rich, Gil, but this really takes the cake."

In the hands of the wide-eyed, gaping referee was a gold coin, the size of a _palm_! The coin glistered in the afternoon sun in a vibrant display. You don't need to dent it to make sure it's real, because just the looks of it, it _screamed_ authentic. It didn't help that it looked like something that should be in a museum… or something that I would find in Tartarus from those gold hands… which once gave my group a golden flip off back then.

"I-Is this real?" the referee asked, holding on to the coin as if it was going to turn to dust if he didn't properly hold it.

"Of course it is, you mongrel." Gil said to the guy sharply, scaring him enough to jump and almost drop the expensive looking metal. "You would dare accuse a king's treasure to be a fake? Bite your tongue!"

For some reason, Gil looked serious when he made that command. Though a little childish, the way he said it had enough authority in it to make the one who was given the command to obey, or be uncertain.

Right now, the referee was leaning to the latter, but slowly inching to the former. The crowd that gathered were also looking the coin in the referee's hands. You could practically hear what they were all thinking, but some of the kids on the field vocalized for them.

"Shiny~!"

That was the chorus of the people.

Now _there's_ an inspiration for a bounded field. Put a coin in the Marin Karin Bounded Field and let the people outside drool over it, even if it is a _one yen_ coin. It would be funny and a good distraction, other people would think that the one who picked it up was really greedy.

"So…" I started, earning everyone's attention, even the uncertain referee. "Are we just going to wait here or are we going to play?"

"Indeed." Gil said, though it didn't look like he was agreeing with my statement. "It is time that I put Arisato in his place." He said to himself, as though I wasn't even present.

"Your call, Gil" I said.

"Heads!" he declared to the referee, who was now properly focused. When the coin hit the ground, I wasn't surprised that it ended up just as Gil predicted. Gil smirked. "Hmph, prepare to be crushed, Arisato."

"Prepare to be disappointed, Gil." I returned the smirk.

As the whistle was blown, the kid beside Gil passed the ball. As soon as it came to the blond, he shot of to the goal with speed that would put most soccer club members to shame.

The red eyed blond weaved through every player on my side of the field while I prepared myself by the net. After Gil jumped over a sliding tackle, I made my move. The crowds were in an uproar with cheers and whistles. The best of both teams were about to clash, with Gil bulldozing the attack.

When I met Gil just outside the penalty line, he did and impressive shuffle and tried to slip the ball between my legs.

I denied him of that when I took a step back and managed to let the ball bounce off the leg and made it stop directly between us.

"Hmph, defence as always, eh, Mongrel?" the golden boy smirked.

"All I need is one mistake." I returned the smirk.

Gil showed me a vicious grin, his eyes glinting as he had just formed a plan in his head. "FOOL! A King makes no mistakes!"

With one impressive, and awe-inspiring maneuver that would have made even professionals green with envy, Gil lifted his foot up and brought it down on the ball with on an angle that would force it into a grinding back-spin. The force that he used was enough to get the ball to travel on his leg and launch it up over his head, perfectly vertical. The move had surprised me so much that I couldn't even move.

Crouching down slightly, Gil jumped, turned in mid-air, and _actually _performed an actual _over-head kick_!

The ball flew past my head with enough force that my ear slightly went deaf and into the goal. The keeper, the players on both teams, as well as the audience were struck speechless.

As Gil landed gracefully back on the ground, he stood tall and proud, admiring the stunned silence that he had created.

"And that, mongrel, is the power of a KING!"

The crowd exploded into cheers! The parents were shouting while clapping their hands and even the teenagers were almost howling their praises.

All the while, Gil was basking in the attention.

"What say you, Arisato?"

The cheers died down as another challenge had been set. The people were all awaiting for my reply, but were already not expecting me to top the amazing goal that they had just witnessed.

In return to them, I smiled. "I say… _Bring it on o Golden King._"

Once again, the crowds erupted in cheers.

From there on it was my team's turn on the offense. Gil decided to stay by the goal and direct his players from there. I've played with the same team ever since the first match with the blond, and we've all been able to cooperate well enough to work together.

If the ball was passed to one of the kids on the field, neither me nor Gil would move to steal it. It had been a silent agreement that we only face each other, and only each other. Both me and the blond were leagues above the others, that's why we don't interfere with how they play. Unless the ball was passed to us, it was an all-out war for the elementary kids.

Besides, me and Gil were only interested with each other.

"Minato-san!" one of them called out.

I saw the ball flying towards me, and I saw Gil sporting another vicious grin. I hopped up and let the ball land on my chest before adjusting my body to control the motion of the ball.

There were three of Gil's teammates behind me. I was on midfield when the ball was passed, so that would mean that they were the forwards of the team. In front of me were three more midfielders and the rest were Gil, the defenders and the keeper.

"You're surrounded, Arisato. What will you do now?" Gil called out from his spot, leaning against the goal post. I could tell that in predicaments like these, Gil was highly anticipating what moves I would use in order to escape. Would I pass the ball? Would I charge head-on? Or will I be forced to go for a thrown in?

Out of all the three, there was one that Gil was always looking forward to.

And it was always the one that I choose.

"You underestimate me, little King!" I cried out, charging ahead to the waiting opponents.

Like a replay of Gil's earlier performance, I dodged, dribbled, tossed and jumped over my attackers. The smile that was on Gil's face never vanished, it was almost as if it was growing, actually.

"HAAHAHAHA! That's it! Pique my interest further, Arisato! Entertain me more!" the little blond bellowed, raising his arms to command the other defenders to attack. "Show me that you are another diamond in the rough!"

The remaining three defenders all went for a sliding tackle at the same time. If I hadn't been conditioning my body for the past couple of years, I would have needed some reinforcement to escape the attack. But as of now, thanks to my daily training, I was able to soar over the three elementary kids, and pushed on towards the still smirking red eyed blond.

Though normally I would have charged past Gil and let my momentum carry me on, but…

I stopped just a few feet in front of Gil, who had removed himself from the post and just outside the penalty line. I hummed, eyeing the blond as he stood with one arm relaxed by his side, the other on his hip, not the in the least threatened by my skills that he just witnessed. "This looks familiar, now, doesn't it?" I muttered.

"So it would seem." Gil smirked. "We always find ourselves in these situations. It would either be me or you attacking or defending…"

"But in the end, we always end up surprising each other." I finished.

I pressed the ball under my foot _hard_, using my heel to drive it into a powerful back-spin. The ball had been under my foot as I stopped to converse with Gil, he made no move to stop me, only waiting what move I would use to impress him.

And after all those waits, not one of them was he disappointed

The ball travelled the back of my leg, spinning directly on top of my flesh. As I stomped my foot hard on the ground, the ball flew up in an impressively straight vertical angle.

Gil smirked as the ball began to descend. "Try to top my shot, then, Arisato." He muttered.

I crouched low, my knees almost touching the ground, coiling all my muscles in my legs. With one high leap, easily going over Gil's height, I turned, and imitated Gil's impressive shot, only mine was hit in an angle that would make the ball curve in its trajectory.

The ball soared past the uncaring red eyed blond, and in to the open hands of the keeper. But the power behind the shot was strong enough to carry even the elementary child into the net.

As I landed, Gil closed his eyes, his face adorning a smile of approval. "Even in a child's body… and without any aid…" he whispered.

From in front of him, I smiled at the blond. "Like you, Gil, I don't need my gifts to do what you can."

"You think too highly of yourself to compare to me, Mongrel." He sneered, though it was nothing but an empty threat.

And so, the game continues…

* * *

After the intense/gruelling match, only two players stood in the field, the others were just too tired to keep up, and the referee had to blow the whistle to end the game. The scores?

4 – 3

Finally, after so many matches over the months, there was finally a victor.

"HA! None can match a KING!" bellowed my blond friend, walking beside me as I made my way home.

I rolled my eyes, giving Gil a crooked smirk. "Though, my prediction came to pass. You _were_ disappointed."

The truth of the end game made him scowl in distaste. "Yes, it was awfully disappointing; none of them were able to actually make to the end."

"Hollow victories always give a bad after-taste." I agreed. "Still, your team won."

Gil scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "You are too modest, Arisato. It was only the two of us that were doing all the scores, while the rest of the worms just wiggled in the dirt."

"That's a bit cruel of you, Gil." I chided, making the blond scoff again. "At least worms are useful; you shouldn't compare them to kids, you'll insult the worms."

Gil hummed in reply, but never actually voicing his thoughts. The only sign that I saw that made me certain that he was amused was the smirk on his face.

Gil was an odd kid, but I know that, like me, he's no ordinary human…

If you can call him that.

He has the same feeling as Personas, yet at the same time, he has the subtle oppressive aura of the Shadows. He also has red eyes that could see through all illusions, deceptions, mysteries and secrets.

The first time he said to me 'You are interesting', was my first clue that he wasn't normal. Usually, when guys tell that to guys… we tend to defend our rears… but that wasn't what he meant, thankfully.

I think he saw what I truly am… or something like that, and he thinks it's interesting.

Mystic Eyes… I think that was what my dad said they were.

Eyes that saw different from what others see, eyes that could be anything, or could be nothing. Either it was his eyes or just some gut instincts, I wasn't very sure, but I like the kid all the same.

There was something about Gil that made you want to follow him, made you want to be led by him… made you want to not to piss him off, for some reason. His glares were intense… it must have been because of the red eyes.

There are times when Gil was a kind and sweet child, holding and air of mystery, childishness, and just plain carefree. Then there are times when his personality makes a 180 turn. He becomes arrogant, snobby, and all around ass.

But bantering with that personality always amuses us both.

We like to Troll people with it.

Gil would set the opening insult, then I would scold him for it, only for me to add insult to injuries to the other party.

Life was good, but we both keep our secrets, and don't ask for the other's. He already knew that I could use magic, and I already knew that he wasn't human, but we never ask, or press on the matter. It was a mutual relationship.

"Minato-chan~!"

I shuddered at the little pet name. Gil looked entertained by my reaction, and just smiled at my discomfort. Behind us, running in a small jog, was Fujimura Taiga, just coming home from school.

"That was a great game, Minato-chan!" when the hyperactive teen finally caught up with us, she draped herself on my back and leaned all her weight on me. She also noticed that Gil was smiling at the scene in amusement. "Oh, you're that kid that beat my Minato-chan!" she said cheerfully, smiling in with all of her excess energy.

"Tiger-san, you do know that I hold the fate of our dinner tonight, yes?" I reminded the teen in my spot under her. "Would you also like another tale of animal cruelty?"

Taiga froze in my back, paling as she remembered what horror had been wrought upon the poor beef. She got off my back, turned me around to face her and lifted me in a hug while rubbing her face on mine. "NOOO!" she wailed pitifully. "I don't want another scary story!"

Ignoring the antics of the supposedly more mature one in our little group of three, I gestured over to the almost laughing blond. "Tiger-san, allow me to introduce you to Gil. Gil, meet Fujimura Taiga, my neighbour and the teen with the mind-set of an 8-year old."

Now, Taigi started to rub her face more furiously than before. "Waahh! So mean!" I could already feel my face getting warm from all the friction of the rubbing.

"It's nice to meet you." Gil bowed politely.

I realize that there were instances like these that the polite Gil manifests. But when it comes to proving his superiority over someone, he turns into the other persona… I wonder if he knows how to use the Persona Shift…

"Hello~!" Taiga greeted the blond, thankfully stopping her rubbing. It feels like my face just became smoother for some scientific reason, and I could tell from the corner of my eye that Taiga's cheek was also the same. "That was a great game, by the way." She complemented.

"Thank you." Gil smiled, surprising me again on how he could be so polite if he wanted to. "Playing against Minato-san is always a good challenge."

Taiga nodded vigorously, remembering the times where I whooped her ass on our spars, which actually made her better than most people her age in the region. "Yeah, Minato-chan has always been talented." Taiga agreed. "If only he wasn't so mean~!" and thus, the dreaded face rubbing came back.

Only this time, it was on the other cheek.

"Fuji-nee, if I didn't know any better, I'd say that you were polishing my face." I commented to the teen, who didn't even pause at what she was doing.

"You're just so cute~! And you always act like you don't care, too!" she practically squealed. She was probably talking about my deadpans.

"Didn't you say that I was mean and annoying?" I added, hoping that she would stop her current actions and leave my face the hell alone. what in the world drove her to act like this on me?

"But you're just so adorable back there in the game!" now she began swinging me like a doll. The strength that she had gained because of all that swinging with the shinai made her actions possible, given small bits of muscle that I accumulated with my conditioning.

Reaching out desperately to the blond who was laughing at me, I called out. "Save me, Gil! Get this beast off me!"

My hopes were shattered when the blond kid started to walk away. "It's not my problem, Minato-san."

Seeing the blond get farther and farther away, I wailed in despair.

"GIIIIIIILLLLL!"

* * *

A/N:

Right…

This is a chapter that just introduces Gil and the rivalry he has with Minato. Even though I don't have the ataraxia game, I've read on the wiki that Gil becomes polite when he drinks the potion that makes him young.

I wasn't really sure as to what personality I should give the child Gil, so I just combined it and made 'flip coin' effect. Gil is mostly polite, but reverts back into his older personality, King Gilgamesh, if someone challenges his superiority.

Like Minato.

Stuck in a child's body, but also refuses to use his skills to enhance his body whenever he faces off with Gil. It was impressive… for a child. Gil thinks that maybe, just maybe, that Minato could be something more… and if he is, he would be there to see it.


	5. Achievements and Tohsaka

***blinks* *looks at length of story***

**Damn, what did I eat? 15k words? That's twice as much than how long I usually write.**

**Damn...**

**Anyway, R&R. And tell me what you guys' think about my not-so original spell.**

***Looks at length again***

**How do other people keep this up... Damn.**

* * *

Child Prodigy

Someone who, at an early age, develop a skill or skills at a level far beyond the norm for their age. These special children are viewed as important to their society, as well as to their country, especially if that child has more than one skill that are almost, if not equal, to those who are older and more experienced in their fields.

There had been many children in history who were considered to be prodigies. There are also prodigies who allowed their talents to wither away because they had no means of pursuing such paths.

There are some individuals who were lucky enough to be discovered and get sponsored by people who wanted to see their growth, or just wanted the fame that came with hosting a these rare children. And right now, there was one of these so-called child prodigies being dissuade into sponsorship.

"No." was the answer of the so-called prodigy.

"But Arisato-kun, please think about this. We could even call your father in order help you make your choice." Said the principal. Beside him was one of those snobby looking rich people who wanted to gain fame by sponsoring a prodigy, which in this case, was me.

"The answer is still 'No'." I said firmly. "My father has given me the right to make this choice, and he refuses to meet with people like you because your types are the ones who use honey-laced words in order to entice parents into agreeing with what you want." I gave snobbish fat man a stern glare. "I am happy with my life as it is and I have enough and proper equipment in both school and home so that my talents will not degrade."

"But Arisato-kun…" the principal tried again.

I sighed, rubbing he temple tiredly. Not even in high school and I'm already suffering from stress. Ever since I started breezing through every class even though I was mostly absent, the school had been calling me a child prodigy, something worse than the title of Genius. It didn't help when I passed some paperwork that pointed out the faults of the teaching method of the school and gave some pointers on how to improve them. (I just did that so that I could get some of them off my back.)

I'm smart, yes, but Genius? No, that's a bit of a stretch.

A prodigy?

I'M AN ADULT STUCK IN THE BODY OF A CHILD! I'M CHEATING SCHOOL AS IT IS!

I snapped my attention to the rich, fat man beside the principal. He flinched and stared directly into my visible eye. I opened my left eye as wide as I could so that the full circle of my pupil was visible to the man. My other eye was still hidden beneath my fringe which I had grown again for sentimentalities.

"Kind sir, though I appreciate that you are willing to spend money over this insolent child, I will have to ask you to cease you efforts to push your offer further." The man's eyes dilated the longer he stared at my single, visible eye. "I have seen kids who have so much potential in different schools. Wouldn't it be more beneficial to sponsor those children instead of just one meager child who may lose his talents in the future? I'm sure that other kids would appreciate you more than this ungrateful child."

The fat man continued to look at me, directly into my eye. After a few seconds he blinked and looked at the principal. "Mr. Principal, I thank you for allowing me to see Arisato-san, but it seems that he will not be swayed."

"But…" the principal began, looking between me and the rich man. The sudden change of heart had him lost. It would seem that the rich man was adamant earlier to make me accept his offer.

"As the boy had said, there are still many children to choose from, many of which have talents that lay dormant." The rich man concluded. He then turned back to me. "Though it is unfortunate that you do not wish to accept my offer, it was a pleasure meeting you, Arisato-kun."

He didn't mean that, I can tell. I waved at him politely. "The pleasure's all mine. And I'm sorry for taking up your time."

The man nodded before looking at the principal. "Well then, Principal, I will take my leave." With an air of rich arrogance, the man left the office.

When the man disappeared from view, the Principal looked at me, obviously confused. "I don't understand why he would just give up like that." He said, but mostly to himself.

I looked at the principal and also gave him the same stare I gave the rich, fat man. "You heard him, sir. Since I held firm, he respected my decision and left." The principal's eyes dilated. "Let's end it with that, shall we?"

The principal could do nothing but nod.

* * *

Stepping out of the office, I waved over to the puzzled secretary. She gave me an amused smile and waved back. She didn't think too much about the man that left earlier, she was used to it.

As I made my way back to the classroom where my bag was, I stretch my arms and rubbed my publicly visible eye. "Damn, I'm not really used to opening my eye too wide for too long. But at least that's another pesky recruiter taken care of."

Once again, I'm thankful for the Marin Karin spell. Back in the principal's office, I used the spell to get them to back off of the subject.

The power of suggestion

Or something like that… Direct command from hypnosis may be good and all, but there would still be some resistance from the brain. The thoughts of the person would unconsciously fight the effects of the hypnotism because it questions the command.

So, by throwing in a few words to fortify the command, the brain accepts the 'Logic' and follows the command without question. This method's pretty hard to use on people who think too hard or not think at all.

For people who think too much, they would come up with counters for the reasons that I suggested, while the ones who don't think at all would just throw logic out of the window and do whatever it is that they want.

"I wonder if I could find any manga to get inspirations from." I muttered.

Outside of my classroom, a girl was standing by the door. She wore a sundress that didn't look like she was comfortable with. She had dark hair and a skin tone that would make you think that she was a foreigner of Filipino descent.

She heard the sounds of someone approaching and looked up to meet my gaze. "Hey Minato-kun!"

"Kuroneko-chan." I greeted back.

A vein bulged on her temple. "How many times do I have to tell to NOT call me that!?"

"As many times until you actually beat my record." I told the elementary girl smugly (Even though I'm also an elementary student myself, currently). This isn't how I normally act, usually. It's kind of nostalgic having a rival on running.

Makidera Kaede, the self-proclaimed Black Panther of the school after watching a documentary about panthers. I usually ignore that noble title and only call her by the pet name that I gave her: Kuroneko. It fits her feisty personality.

Her skin tone was darker than most students in school, which she would sometimes get teased over for. Because she loved running, it ended that way when she kept playing while the sun was still up, and she's also one of the well-built kids in our age group. You might call her a prodigy of running.

"So… what are you still doing here?" I asked the heavily tanned-skin girl. "School's already over and there's no one else to play with."

"You." She pointed at me. "I want a race."

"Denied." I said crossing my arms and forming a cross sign.

The girl seemed put off by my immediate refusal. "But how can I beat you if you won't accept my challenges." She said childishly, fuming while stomping her foot on the floor.

"Don't you have other people to compete with?" I suggested. There were many kids her age that also liked to run, only not as much as her. It's not that hard to look for other kids who want to play.

But then again, there are some kids who think that running isn't for girls and ignore her.

"They're weak." She pouted, though I could tell that she was refused again by the other kids. "And I'm already done with them." A pained look appeared on her face. She's a pretty bad liar, and I know that the refusal for her to join affected her more than she wants to show.

"I see." I nodded sagely. Being the most mature one on campus, I try my best to help those children who have the same issue like Kaede. "So the ferocious panther has already devoured most of her prey." I said to myself. The usual way to cheer up Kaede is to engage her in a verbal banter. I looked over to the side with a contemplative expression. "And all that's left is me."

"That's right!" she pointed at me dramatically, already forgetting about her earlier depression. "All that's left is you! The Blue Jaguar."

My eye twitched at the name. I've never heard of a blue jaguar. I thought she'd relate me to a cheetah or something. But then again, I did use Ose whenever I ran away from her. Maybe she felt what type of animal I was imitating at the time. Well, it's more of a demon than an animal, anyway.

"That's a silly name, Kaeda-chan." I told her.

"It can't be helped." She crossed her arms and puffed her cheeks. "Jaguars are the panther's rival, after all."

Oh great. At first there was only a tiger, then a panther, and now a jaguar. Next we'll be having a lion somewhere. What is this, the animal kingdom?

"Kids and their imaginations." I muttered silently before addressing back to the girl. "Anyway Kaede-chan, where the other two?"

"Other two?" she asked, tilting her head slightly.

"You know; Kane-chan and Yuki-chan." I elaborated.

Kaede's face scrunched up after hearing their names. "Oh. Yuki-chi's already gone home, and that other girl's gone as well."

If it were possible for me, I would have a sweatdrop going down on my head right now. No matter how much she denies it, she's friends with those two, even if she doesn't like the other one.

Saegusa Yukika, another girl in the same class as me. I don't really know much about this girl. She's pretty timid, and the reputation that I have in school didn't help me with making friends with her. I was either a delinquent in her eyes or a one of those special children that adults tend to talk about. Even though I don't know her very well, she's my Priestess Arcana Social Link, signifying hidden knowledge or untapped power, wisdom, female mystery and magic.

There was also Himuro Kane, the one that Kaede-chan's sour about. Both girls have this thing where they're arguing about feminine beauty (in elementary?). Kane-chan wants Kaede-chan to start acting more like a girl and stop running around too much. That's technically where the childish hate started. The girl's my Temperance Social Link, signifying synthesis, prudence, harmony and merging of opposites.

I don't really know how it all began with the two, but I do know that they get along quite well if they aren't butting heads. Yuki-chan's mostly the voice of reason amongst the three, but she's too shy at times to voice out her thoughts.

"C'mon Minato-kun, let's race!" she repeated.

"Or play tag." I suggested automatically.

"That too!"

I slapped my face. Damn my stupid mouth.

_I am thou, Thou art I_

_In the face of Victory, Conquest, Self-Assertion, Control, War and Command,_

_May you ride with the Chariot Arcana with pride_

Level Up. Yay.

* * *

Reaching the front door of my home, I sighed as I opened the door. I've really changed from that emo zombie from back then. But sometimes, I want to return to being like that. Even though I've gotten control of my… ugh, 'Mood Swings', I'm still prone to some, with the right stimuli. It's only thanks to a quick persona shift that saved me from awkward situations.

Oh yeah, that's right.

Persona Shift, the ability that allows me to switch Persona whenever I please. Persona is the mask that protects the person from social and emotional threats and the one that reacts to external stimuli. The Persona, depending on the situation, helps a person through their everyday life.

Thanatos' apathy, Inugami's viciousness, Incubus and Succubus' seductive nature, Asura's vengeful wrath, Helel's soothing raidiance.

There are many types of persona connected to the ones that I have. Different people have different types, but most of them focus on something general. Everyone has multiple Persona, but only I have the ability to actually manifest them to the fullest. Others' are just bits and pieces that are overshadowed by their more dominant mask.

Because of the potency of my Persona ability (my Wild Card ability), I am able to change my facial expression to the point that I practically look like a different person.

I experimented on this once, and I was surprised that it worked… but only to some degree. Even if a person changed their persona (personality. Not the type of persona that I use), there are still things that help to make someone recognizable.

Hairstyle is one thing. Someone who always had their hair covering their forehead with long hair then suddenly cut them shorter and brushed his hairs into spikes…

Gil was a pretty good example of this.

The kind and polite boy with his hair combed down on his head was what I always saw when I meet Gil, but when a kid with blond hair, red eyes, spiked up hair and rude, arrogant attitude greeted me…?

My first words to him were "Who are you?"

Such glaring changes were amazing. And now, I have a few set of clothes that would disguise me if I wanted to (styling gels are also added).

Black clothes when I equip Thanatos, making me kill my emotions and leave an emotionless kid behind (funeral suit and I would have both my eyes covered). Bright and sunny clothes when I equip Asura, being adventurous and short-tempered (Hawaiian shirt with tan shorts. My hair would be styled like flaming inferno). White, baggy clothes when I equip Helel or any angelic Persona, turning me into a polite and generous kid and leave people smiling (any casual clothes, and I smile often. I also have a clip to keep my hair off my eyes.). Oh, and I also have clothes for when I need to just go wild and have fun… Hell Biker for that one (Rockstar… nuff said).

Thanks to Gil, I know that this idea is feasible.

"Minato?"

I blinked stupidly as I just noticed that I was staring at the front door of the house. I was just taking off my shoes before I went through the explanation of my powers. I had always been curious on how they work, but I just didn't have the time to research on them.

Turning around, I found my father poking his head out into the hall. "I heard you enter, but you didn't announce that you've returned."

Blinking once more, I had forgotten that it was rude to not announce your return. Even after all these years that I have been living with father; I'm still having trouble doing what normal family do. One of them was this. "Sorry about that, dad. 'I'm Home'"

"Welcome back." He said, it being the proper reply when someone announces their return. "How was school?" he asked.

"Same as always." I grunted.

"They're still coming after you?" he asked, raising a brow slightly.

"They call me in for 'Counselling' but in actuality it was an early scheme in order to secure the choice of which school I'm going in the future and also who gets the '_Honor_' of making me their trophy. There's also the fame." I answered, lining my shoes properly by the door. "Pathetic schemers thought that just because I was a child that they could sweet talk and pressure me into picking the schools that _they_ choose."

"Surely it wasn't that bad." He said.

"One time they tried to offer me a frickin' sucker…" I deadpanned him.

I could see that father trying hard not to laugh, but the upturn of his lips gave him away. "They were really that desperate?"

I walked over to the living room, where my father entered back and went to sitting on the porch again. "Yes. Heck, some of them were even offering to send me to college immediately." I sighed exasperatedly, sitting down by the table and taking some of the snacks that were sitting there. Stressed elementary student, WHO KNEW IT COULD HAPPEN! "I mean, I'm still a kid, for god's sake."

Wait a minute.

I paused in my seat. I reviewed what I just said. Then I palmed my face. I can't believe I just admitted that I was a kid.

My situation has been like this ever since Taiga started ranting in her school about how an elementary student keeps beating her and something about 'too smart for his own good'. While most people would think that this was just Taiga being silly again, her kendo team were thinking otherwise, as well as the parents who frequent the games that I compete against a certain blond haired, red eyed kid.

There was also the Taiga 'Feral' ascent. Because she had been sparring with me all the time when she had free time, her skill in her sport made a huge jump from 'Great' to 'Professional'. Her reaction time greatly improved, her swings were much faster, her attacks are much stronger, and most of all, Torashinai was very frustrated that it did not taste my blood (or flesh for that matter). It made its displeasure known to the rest of the team when it looked like Taiga was possessed by something and she started ranting about how they were getting weaker every practice.

What the girl didn't know was that she was already leagues ahead of them, but she had made me her measuring stick when it came to her skills in kendo. She thought that if she couldn't beat me, she still needed more training.

Our spars honed Taiga's instincts. Some of my Personae have weapons mastery, whether they be bows, swords, axe, spears and even degree on martial arts. I didn't even need to switch my Personae anymore in order to use them; they've become sort-of a passive skills.

Thus began the legend of the 'Tiger of Fuyuki' (and the mysterious trainer… or was it tamer?).

Currently, the school that Taiga attended remained undefeated ever since I started to whoop her ass in her sport.

Oh, it wasn't because Taiga was unbeatable. No. Taiga was always being disqualified because she kept forgetting to take of that tiger amulet she had on her shinai. It was because of her training to the team that made the rest of them ahead of their peers.

Also, about that amulet on Taiga's shinai… I swear that thing was sentient, and it was the thing that was keeping the shinai cursed. I think it's even protected by a charm that was making people 'forget to remove it'.

Huh. Now there's another idea for the Marin Karin bounded field…

"Minato, you're thinking too much again." I heard my father say. "You're beginning to act like a 'proper' magus." The way he spoke about being a proper magus sounded sarcastic to me.

"It's simple curiosity, father." I said, still can't choose which one should I stick with when calling Kiritsugu; father or dad? "Besides, I won't do the atrocities that other magi are willing to perform, and most of my research is about my own form of magecraft."

"Oh? Are you going to become a first generation magus, then?" he asked, tone slightly teasing.

"Ha! And let my future descendants abuse the powers I discovered from my simple curiosity? Not a chance." I shook my head sadly. "Maybe the second or third generation of my future family may not abuse my research, but I'm certain that the 'Creed' of the family deteriorates and gives way to sins. I prefer to stay single, since only few in humanity can be trusted or maybe keep my research for myself."

My mind-set of a magus, as my father would often call it. At first he was very displeased that I was becoming a 'proper magus'. Then he started questioning me about my future, my goal, my drive and so on and so forth. When he explained to me what other magus' do in order to advance their mage craft I understood his worries.

"Walking alongside death"

I laughed when he told me that, then he remembered my story about death being inside of me and laughed along. I found out that all magi are foolish. I also figured out why magecraft has been declining over these past years.

Secrecy? They were nothing but utter selfishness.

First generation? Yea~- no, there's no way I'm passing on my persona abilities. Also, unless one has been touched by Death, there's no way they can use the Wild Card ability. I'm also not sure if any child I'll have will be able to use persona magic. Then again, I think the Persona magic is a branch from the third true magic.

I wonder if the true magic is hereditary. Maybe if I- uh… um… looks like I'm getting curious again and want to experiment. Damn. As much as I hate to admit it, I'm starting to think like one of those stuck up magi.

Father looked to me sadly, finding my view on humanity depressing. "That's a grim way of looking at human beings." He said. This wasn't the first time we had a conversation like this.

I shrugged, not really bothered by the way I see most people. "I've read Death Note once back in my world. It opened my eyes on some of the things that I would usually miss in my everyday life, for that I'm thankful for it."

"Death Note?" my father inquired. This was the first time that I ever brought it up.

I nodded. "Yeah. It's about a Shinigami that was bored and dropped a notebook on earth that has the power to kill people if you write their names on it." I explained. It was one of the few manga that got me interested before I moved to Iwatodai. "Then, a human found the note and started using it." I snorted. "It first he wanted to use it in order to purge the world of 'Evil'." My father shifted in his seat, turning from the backyard in order to face me. I gave him an amused smirk. Some of the stories that I sometimes tell my father seem to catch his attention, especially about Justice themed things.

I remember father telling me about his mercenary days, but only bits and pieces of them and not the whole story. I could tell that there were some of them that he wasn't comfortable of, so I don't press on the matter and bug him for details.

Sinner for the greater good.

Yeah, that sounds about right.

"Don't get your hopes up, dad. In the end, he was nothing but a killer, killing anyone who was in his way to become _God_." I said the final word with as much sarcasm as I could. "It taught me that everyone's a schemer. No matter how innocent, there are always reasons to what they do."

My father grimaced at the grim tale. "Are all of the things you know lean mostly towards dark things?"

"That depends on how you perceive it." I answered. "The protagonist of Death Note wanted to make a better world, but he was nothing but another schemer in order to obtain his own sense of Godhood. He killed many people; some of them were innocent but most were not."

Father grimaced again. From his reaction I could tell that he also made some choices that ended up killing innocent people back in his mercenary days.

"Let's change topics, shall we." I suggested. It's probably better than unintentionally guilting my father. I looked over to him, taking in the way he sat and his posture. "Do you feel heavy? Or are there any complications in you movements?"

Shaking his head negatively, father stood up and walked over to the table. There was no dragging feet in his steps. That was good. "Nothing went wrong with the procedure, but there's a slight weight whenever I try to move." He said, sitting down on another side of the table and showing me his arm.

It was a few months back since he stopped doing some of his around the world trips. I noticed that some of father's movements were slower, seemingly heavier. There were also those times when he would sleep on the porch when he thought that I didn't notice. It wasn't that he didn't want to get up and sleep in his room.

He couldn't.

There was something wrong with father.

He didn't say what it was, and he also refuses to say anything about it. It was after a few days of failed attempts to make him talk that I suggested something about his problem.

Tarukaja.

Another one of the many different magic used by Persona users. By adjusting the limiter set by the brain to the muscles, a person can perform feats that may seem inhuman because of the contradictions of their size and their strength. They say that the human body never uses more than what their muscles are safely capable of. Though I'm not sure of the credibility of this claim, it is the only possible explanation of the persona skill on the body.

I found out that father's body is… deteriorating, so to speak. It's like when you get old and your muscles degrade over time. In father's case, it's close, but not quite. From what I deduced, it's a Curse, a strong one. Like a very potent Gandr spell, or something.

Long story short; I got angry, asked why he didn't ask for help or even tried to look for one, he refused to say anything, I stopped being angry but was still frustrated, tried to help, and now we're here.

Though I can't heal father's body, I could at least help him to move around the house. Even with Tarukaja aiding his body when he moves, it's still below of what he can do normally without the supposed curse.

"Still, it's amazing what type of magic the people in your world are capable of." My father commented. "I don't feel any prana running in my body, but I could tell that this Tarukaja spell is working."

"It's not supposed to linger." I explained. "It's only loosening the limitations of the body slightly, and thanks to Rakukaja, I can safely strengthen your body like reinforcement does without the possible risks involving it. After a while the brain should notice that the muscles are working themselves more than they should and set the limiter again, and thanks to the Rakukaja spell you'll be able to endure the Tarukaja spell without any damage occurring to your body or worsen your condition."

Father hummed, taking his arm back after I was done examining it. He looked at it himself, slowly opening and closing his hand, testing if the spell is still at work. "The spell is very similar to a full reinforcement, but this doesn't cost any constant drain in prana." He mused.

I nodded, leaning back and relaxing where I sat. "True. In reinforcement, you can choose which part you want to strengthen or something similar, right? Like sight, for example."

"Yes." Father nodded. "That's correct."

It wouldn't be a surprise if father had used that method back then when he was still working. And still, this is another subject that got me curious. How much will my body's performance improve if I reinforced myself to the limit and reduce my muscle's limter?

"Minato, are you thinking about experiments again?" my father asked sternly.

"Not at all, father." I answered coolly, mentally patting myself on the back for saying that in a way that it almost sounded true.

Almost.

Too bad father caught my lie. "You only address people formally when you are up to something, and casually when you are up to nothing in particular." He scolded, pointing out one of the quirks that I developed after years of teasing Taiga.

My eyebrow twitched at that. The action was equivalent to a flinch, but I gained enough control over my body so that it wouldn't be noticeable. Only someone with great observation skills would have detected the reaction, and Taiga has never caught it once.

Unfortunately, my father was different.

After having done so many shady businesses in the past, he had learned to read people and also take note of any changes in facial expressions when dealing with cunning individuals. It didn't just apply to the face, but also to the rest of the body language.

"Though I gave my consent for you to sate your curiosity on some of your branch of magecraft, there are still some things that you are not ready for." He said, reminding me of the time where he caught doing some of my first… er, dangerous experiments.

The yard was still recovering from that incident.

I sighed dejectedly. "Understood, father. I'll keep on refining the basic that you've taught me, and only practice on inanimate objects."

It was my father's turn to sigh dejectedly. "One of these days Minato-kun, I fear that you may cross the line with your experiments."

I shrugged, not really caring. "I'm still just human. There's always the possibility- no. I WILL commit an act in the future that I will regret. We can't escape that. The only difference is 'How much' I am going make in the future."

Father shook his head sadly. "Again, you look at the world on a grim perspective."

"I prefer the term 'Pessimist'. But that also works."

"If you continue with this, Minato-kun, you'll become a bad influence to your classmates." He warned.

"And my absences are not already bad examples?" I gasped, feigning shock. "It seems that I've been slacking off on my rebelling stage. For you to not even remember such a thing, father, is quite contradictory to your words. Or is it that I need to set another bad example in order to make you notice them?"

Father palmed his face, sighing exasperatedly. "Sometimes I forget that you're actually older than you look."

"Right. Just because I look young doesn't mean I act like my age. I mean, look at Taiga."

There was a long pause inside the living room.

"That was low, Minato-kun."

I shrugged. "It proves my point."

He sighed again. Ever since I told him that I wasn't really a kid, I've been more lax about showing my true emotions. At times it was amusing for him to watch, but at most, it was a nightmare when I just mess around and refuse to tell what I was thinking. So, in order to save himself from any headache, he decided to change topics. "Do you have any projects that you're working on?" he asked.

"Yes." I nodded proudly. Ever since I've learned how versatile my Persona magic, now that it has mixed with this world's magecraft, I've been doing a lot of experimenting with my elements. "I'm finishing up some 'Wind Tunnel' theory that I saw in an anime once. I'm trying to grasp a better mastery with my Garu skills so that I could control the power of a vacuum that I create, and also make a protective bubble of wind from it."

My father inclined his head, also getting curious about the subject. "Any progress yet?"

I nodded. "Yup. The last problem that I have is hitting random things. It's pretty much a pain."

Father nodded, staying silent and just allowed me to continue my work. As long as no one was getting hurt, other than my trial and errors, he wouldn't butt in.

Standing up from my seat, I made my way to the kitchen to start making dinner. It would be disastrous if the Tiger came in only to find that there were no offerings. I wouldn't want to clean up after one of her tantrums again.

Before I could step out of the living room, father called out to me. "Minato-kun, how is your progress on _those_ type of magic?"

Turning my head to face him, I smirked. "I'm already working on my third rank. By the end of the month, I'll be able to use rank four at this rate."

He nodded to me, "Remember to keep that a secret to _anyone_, especially from the Association." with that he ushered me to move on to the kitchen.

* * *

On that night, the sky was clear, the moon was shining brightly, but the stars were nowhere in sight.

Atop of one of the buildings in Fuyuki, I surveyed the streets and alleys thoroughly. It was ten in the evening. The streets were still littered with people. Random thugs skulked in the alleys, women clad in skimpy cloths that were no longer appropriately considered as clothes eyed the passing men, and some random thief just happened to be running in one of the narrow alleys that were free of any thugs.

My eyes narrowed at the alley. I flared my circuits and focused on my Garu magic.

Ever since my Persona magic has become more versatile and easier to control, I've been rummaging through every fantasy books or mangas that I could find.

Yes, I know that it's not original, but it works.

Sonido - a speed technique that I found in a manga. There were other variants of speed skills that I've found in mangas. Every different names and methods I've seen made me think of one thing.

I want that skill.

So, I've made my own variant. By creating a bubble of air to surround me, I created my own atmosphere. The sphere was made in order to protect me from ripping myself apart from the velocity of my travel. I got the idea from bullet trains. Even though it's traveling at a speed that's harmful to the human body, the layer of steel protects them from the force. That's not all, though.

Thanks to new technologies, the inertia felt from the stopping of the trains lessens and keep the passengers comfortable. This way, people don't start leaning towards in the same directions the same way they do when inside busses making an abrupt stop.

The protection for the travel complete, I then started developing my 'Tunnel'. Well, it's more like a vacuum of wind, actually.

The vacuum sucks the sphere protecting me, taking me with it. But by only doing this, I can only travel in a straight path. That's where the 'Portals' come in. They are the ones that act as a 'Corner's for steering my direction and also the ones that I use to stop my travel via 'Exit' portal.

This spell has a distance limit, however, since it's still in its development stage (not even in the final development). The distance of my Portal casting is fifty feet (They're still stable that far), meaning, I can make as many portals within that range. Many of my wide range physical Persona attacks were opened because of this this spell.

Right now this so-called speed technique is inferior to the ones that I've seen in the books, but with a bit of time, I know I can think of something to get around this problem. I still have a 'cool down time', though.

Pause length: 2 seconds.

It takes me that long to find another suitable place to make a portal after moving out of my maximum cast range. I can make elaborate routes anywhere within the fifty feet radius of my spell, but the tunnel vision prevents me from seeing anything outside of my paths. It's times like those that I wish I had the Mystic Eyes called Sharingan.

Let's put that wish aside for the moment. For now, all I have to do was move to another building on the other side of the highway.

I still can't go on prolonged Gust Steps because there is still pressure when you travel close to the speed of sound, protective bubble or not.

_"I am the vessel of their souls."_

Closing my eyes, I felt the power of my Personae flowing into me, allowing me to use their spells with ease. The many, powerful, legendary figures inside my soul were giving me the knowledge to execute their spells with great mastery.

A green swirl appeared before me, the edges of wind concentrating into the center of the portal. Fifty feet away in the air, over the busy streets of the city, another portal appeared. The two pathways connected, allowing me to use them as the path of my travel.

A bubble of wind surrounded my body, its role was to protect me and keep me safe while inside the tunnel of wind. With that set, the bubble was swallowed by the 'Entrance' portal and shot straight to the 'Exit' portal.

The surrounding that I saw in perfect detail in the evening night became nothing but a blur. A slight pressure pressed against my body while in the travel. The protection was keeping the outside force from ripping me apart. I was thankful for the train idea for this.

My range was fifty feet, and so my travel didn't go all the way to the other building on the other side of the street. The distance exceeded my safe casting range, so I had to make another portal to get to my destination.

Unstable portals are very dangerous, even with the bubble of wind protecting me. If the portal was unstable, I might not be able to change the direction of my travel and crash. I might also not be able to stop my travel and end up going on and on until I hit a particularly solid object… like a wall or tree… and get crushed in the process.

1 second passed.

I was still in the air. I didn't stop the inertia that threw me out of the exit portal so that I could gain more distance and air time while I look for another place to set my spell.

1 more second passed.

I saw the ledge of the target building and immediately made a portal on that spot as my 'Exit'. The bubble was still set around me for protection for the next jump. Another portal appeared in front of me and quickly connected to the Exit portal.

The bubble was swallowed again and next thing after the blur of my surroundings, I was hovering above the targeted spot of my Exit.

Landing on the other side of the building, I leaned over the edge and saw the lowly thief rummaging through the stolen purse. I can now say that this particular experiment was a success. I now have gained the spell of Gust Step. Now, to develop this further into a Tempest Step where the pause length will be reduced, the cast range farther and execution more silent. The after effect of this Gust Step spell produces a violent gust of wind that _screams_ unnatural. So, I'm going to see if I could make it more silent.

Looking down at the thief, I couldn't help but compare this situation to this scene that I read in mangas. The situation right now reminds me of the time where the criminal would think that they're safe, let their guard down and the hero swoops in to catch him.

Well, I always did want to do that kind of thing once.

"Halt you dirty thief!" my voice echoed in the empty alley. "Remove those rotten sausages you call fingers out of that bag immediately!"

"Who's there!" the thief whipped around and pulled out a knife, searching both ends of the alley for the source of the voice.

"I am the dark hero who guards this city. I am the phantom the lurks in the dark, the justice that will never be named." Once again, my voice echoed. If I didn't know how to control myself, I would be laughing right now and would have ruined my speech. "In every act of evil, I am summoned."

The thief was now searching frantically, looking at every dark corner behind trash cans and bags. Looking for a presence that cannot be seen can be a frightening thing. "Who are you!"

Behind him, a figure dropped in a crouch. He froze in fear.

"I am Batman."

With that, I kicked him in the crotch.

"And you just got pawned."

Crashing to the ground painfully, the lowly thief struggled to turn his body to face his attacker. When he saw who I was with his tear stained eyes, he cried out:

"YOU'RE JUST A KID!"

Exercising my talent to ignore people while looking like I was listening, I started dancing 'Smooth Criminal' without a care. My current attire was a miniature version of my dad's when he was still working: A black business suit with a long coat, and also a mask covering the lower part of my face. I styled my hair to cover both my eyes, so I look like a faceless businessman from afar.

With this set of clothes, I look _good_.

Finishing my stationary moon walk, I struck a pose while jabbing a finger towards him. "Watch it I'm already 21 years old. I just don't look it."

"What!?" the thief squawked then whimpered pitifully when a jolt of pain emanated from below his belt.

"None of your business. Now, look into mah mysterious eyes…"

The thief felt compelled to follow my command. Even in his pained state, his eyes looked deeply into the shadows that covered my face. Behind the hair that seemed like a twilight curtain in the dark, a blue colored orb pierced through.

Damn. If only that was what my hair really looked like.

Focusing back on the man, I kept my gaze. "Stand up. Ignore the pain and stand up."

The thief's eyes were dilated, and slowly, very slowly, he stood up with shaky legs. Hypnosis is a really strong thing. If I had this back then in Iwatodai I would have just used this to escape those horrid fangirls.

"Pick up what you stole and limp your way out of this alley." Yes. I just totally ordered him to actually limp out of the alley. "If you don't, I will kick your jewels again and just let the cops do whatever they want." I told him. Within his hypnotized mind he was thinking about the pros and cons of this. "If you give back what you stole, they may take it easy on you." I added.

It was a tempting offer. Since I already caught him, 'crippled' him and proved that I could do it again, it was a very reasonable choice. If he refuses, I'll kick him again and _still_ have the cops on his ass. Which would be better? The choice where you're screwed no matter what you do, or the choice where you may get a lesser punishment?

"Alright, I'll give it back." He said in monotone.

I nodded and watched him go out of the alley in a painful limp. I knew that this place was the territory of Raiga-jiji's 'business', but there were some places that his men just don't look into. Call it my public service, if you will.

Crouching low, I opened up my circuits again to make a portal-

-when a shout from the other end of the alley stopped me.

"Hold it!"

I paused in my preparation to the jump, but still had my spell on standby just in case. When I glanced who the speaker was, I saw a little girl at the location of the source. Behind my fringe-covered eyes I raised a brow.

I looked like I froze in my actions because of her and she was looking smug about it. "Return what you stole!" she ordered. There was a sense of excitement that I was feeling from the girl, like it was her debut in the world of showbiz.

I didn't give her a reply and merely stayed to what I was doing (legs bent and ready to make a break for it). I took the time to process this whole situation: The girl didn't look familiar to me. I knew most of the kids that go to the same school as me, but this one I really don't recognize. The twin tails are pretty hard to miss. There was also the same power coming from her that was the same as some of the Persona users that I knew.

She was just emitting the power, but that doesn't mean she can use it.

"Hey!" she called out again. "Stop ignoring me!"

Was I thinking too much again? How long was I squatting there? I shrugged and stood straight slowly. The portal to my escape was still on standby, so I refused to move a step. I also made the bubble around me thinner, but not too thin for the jump. I made it so that it would be hard to see in the dark. "Can I help you, little miss?"

Grinding her teeth in anger for some reason, she shouted. "I said give back what you stole!" the earlier feeling of excitement she had suddenly turned to irritation. There are times where my passive (default) personality would get on people's nerves.

Oh yeah… she said that earlier, didn't she? It was so unimportant; I seemed to have forgotten that she said it. Raising my hand in a placating manner, she tensed at my actions. "Look. I don't have anything on me. The guy that you're looking for went the other way and was going to return what he stole." It was a farfetched story that I knew that no one would believe.

"I don't believe you." She said simply.

Called it

I sighed exasperatedly. I knew it was a hard thing to believe, but I don't have anything else to say. That was the truth and there was nothing else for me to do. I should probably end this here and now.

Raising my hand to my face, I was about to brush away a few strands of hair out of my covered eye when I stopped. I saw that the girl had tensed when I moved. Now that I think about it, what's a girl, the same age as my physical body, doing out here late at night… and with no guardian in sight?

Relaxing my hand back to my side again, I studied the girl more carefully. She had her hair tied into twin tails. She was wearing a school uniform that I don't recognize. In her hand, she looks like she was clenching on something… was that a rock?

Brushing a few strand of hair away from my eye, I made sure that nothing was hindering my vision. I still had my hand over my face so that it would be harder for her to notice any detail that she could use to recognize me. Face mask or not, I'm not taking any chances.

Freeing my right eye from my hair and peeking through my fingers, I flared my circuits.

"_Trace Spread: Surface Scan…_"

Tracing – a copy of a drawing, map, plan, etc., made by following the directions on a transparent sheet and producing something similar to the original: A counterfeit.

With that line of thought, I've created something similar in concept. By using my Garu magic as the catalyst for the transparent sheet and my prana to follow the 'pattern' of information to create the blueprint, I can read the information that's being sent to me using this method. It's another project created from the Braille theory of mine.

It's a combination of a high level Structural Grasping and a good grasp on wind manipulation where the wind can also be used to detect vibrations in the air and also as a blanket to detect items in the target area. It tells me the shape of the item based of the resistance it makes to the wind, and my prana invades it to gather info for me. This method is more effective after casting Sukukaja so that my senses would be more sensitive, or even using reinforcement on my ears to make the same effect.

I can use _Trace Spread_ like a sonar, giving me information of everything around me. It's also a great way to detect a certain sneaky Tiger who always plans to invade your kitchens secretly for a bit of snacks, _my_ snacks (you could say that this spell was born from gluttony). Although if I'm not careful, I get nosebleeds from information overload, so I only focus on the surface data. For the girl in front of me, that's all I need.

The girl tensed as I activated my cicuits. The prana saturated wind that I unleashed washed over her body like a blanket. Information was sent to me by the prana inside the wind that also functioned as my 'touch'. The info was from the ribbon that acted as a tie around her neck, the white blouse buttoned up fully under her black vest, the black skirt that was covering the white panties that she was wearing and the black socks she wore inside those brown shoes.

The girl's eyes narrowed and so did mine. (Why the hell did my Trace Spread also give me the girl's three sizes?) The girl wasn't holding a rock, it was a jewel. From what I could tell from the quick information that my spell had given me, that jewel was brimming with Prana, and not just any type of prana, it was an elemental one.

A Garula Gem? What was that doing here? I grounded my teeth as I try to recall what I know about them.

MPersona magic has three tiers when it comes to their elemental magic, and from there, they're separated into two kinds. Depending on the power of the spell and how it's cast, it is categorized differently.

The primary tier elements are: Agi, Garu, Zio, Bufu, Hama and Mudo.

The second tier are: Agilao, Garula, Zionga, Bufula, Hamaon and Mudoon.

And finally, there are the Dyne tier: Agidyne, Garudyne, Ziodyne, Bufudyne. The other two have none.

There's also the more taxing form of the spells, where the area of effects are more wide spread: the 'Ma-' or 'Me-' category of the spells. And before I forget, some Personae also have their 'Personal' skills as well. Said skills and spells are all ranked at a higher tier than the three, but because only certain Personae have them, they are not in the normal category of tiers.

Going back to the stone that the girl possessed, it's a second tier stone.

Back in Tartarus, we tend to finds things that shouldn't exist. Some of the things we find were useful to our exploration, and some of them were even usable to kill Shadows. One of those was the crystalized elemental stones of the tier magic.

They looked like gems that we similar to accessories, but were actually grenades made to look like rocks. The Kirijo Group once tried manufacturing these stones, but their efforts resulted in failure since they were quite fragile that any prodding would result in the stone to go off. Now here I see this girl carrying one of those dangerous things.

"Little girl, where did you get those gems." I asked/demanded with my visible eye still narrowed. I dropped my hand and let my hair stay where it was so that she could see how serious I was. Gems like those have devastating effects if not handled with care. Even Agilao has enough force to rival a dynamite.

"So, you're a magus." The girl said with a noticeable huff, ignoring my question. She seemed to not think the same as I do when it came to the stones. Either she knows how to use them or she just doesn't get it. From her expression though and the way she holds the stone, I'm guessing it was the former. "What are you doing here in my family's land?"

"Land?" I spoke out loud, temporarily directing my attention away from the magic stones. Ah… so this girl must be the second owners of Fuyuki. I remember that father told me that they excel in jewelcraft, but I didn't know that it was _this_ type of jewelcraft.

"Answer me! What's another magus family doing here!" she called to me.

Shaking my head to clear away the nostalgia, I laughed at her. If these stones are possible to create here… then it seems that I have another project to pass my time with. "I'm the only one of my family here, little girl." I said. It was half true. I'm only adopted by Emiya Kiritsugu, and there's only me here in this alley, so there's no other family 'Here' in this location.

"Don't call me 'little girl'!" she glared, readying to throw the stone. "We're practically the same age!"

"We are?" I asked innocently. A little too innocent. There was a devious side of me that was born after those years of teasing and taming the Tiger of Fuyuki. It's no surprise that I have the uncanny ability to piss people off because of those hilarious moments. Good times… and there's still more to come.

The girl started to shake in fury, which told me that she doesn't have much patience (all kids don't). I was a random magus, practicing magecraft without the knowledge of her family, doing whatever I wanted and not caring about doing it in the open like this. She must be pretty mad because of those. Well, not really. I was sure that it was only the former two that I was sure that she was mad about because I could tell that she's ready to unleash that stone's power on me if I make the wrong move. And right now, it looks like I pressed the big red button that was labelled 'Pissed'.

The girl clenched her hand, the one where she was holding the jewel, and flared her circuits in preparation to a spell of some kind. Just as she did that, I also activated mine along with my portal. A tunnel was set and an exit portal was made right beside the girl.

Before she could make another move, a hand caught her wrist and my masked face appeared two inches away from hers. Even though there was no one else in the alley besides the two of us, there's no way that I would let her set something like a Garula gem off in this narrow space.

The girl let out an 'eep' of surprise and tumbled backwards. I let her hand slip from mine when she started moving back, which caused her to fall on her rear when she suddenly lost her balance.

I let out a snort of amusement when she looked up and glared at me. "Sorry, but I can't let you use something this dangerous." Lifting my hand to my face, I brought out and examined the green rock that the little miss never noticed she dropped. The vacuum from my speed spell wasn't just for me to pass through. I can also use it to pull things to me or to my hand; like say, the jewel that was in the air.

I adjusted the size and the power of the pull to suit the target. I might have blown my hand off if the stone travelled close to the speed of sound.

The gem was different from the ones that I used in my world. It was an _actual_ jewel. Unlike the crystalized magic that I used back then, this was… more expensive. Delving deeper into the gem, I found out that it was actually just an ordinary stone a few years ago. Prana was being fed to the stone frequently, explaining why the power of the stone was quite abundant. Interesting…

Looking down at the girl, I looked at her with a flat stare. "Is your family, by any chance, wealthy?" I was sure that this thing does not come cheap. It was an authentic thing, same as the ones that some Shadows would drop on occasions back in Tartarus. She could be a rich heir like Mitsuru was. When the girl flushed instead of huffed, it gave me my answer. "I'll take that as a 'No'."

This girl must be quite spoiled to be walking around and carrying expensive stones like this in her pockets, even _if_ my guess was wrong. But then I noticed that the girl's face flushed further. Odd. For some reason, I feel a sense of great joy as I tease this girl. This requires further experim-… uh, investigating.

"Do you accept donations for the poor?" I asked, pulling out a wad of cash from my pocket.

The girl's eyes began trailing the cash in my hand when I began to wave it in front of her. I felt like I was messing with Taiga again. The joys that naïve feline would provide me every other day was always refreshing. When the girl finally caught herself from the mesmerising bundle of sin, she glared at me with utter fury.

Once again, a bubble of joy bloomed within me. My inner troll was being fed… or was that Loki?

The cash that was in my hand disintegrated before her eyes, signifying that it was nothing but projection. This seems to add more anger to the girl. I had to consciously stop myself from shuddering at the great feeling that added inside of me.

Looking back down at the girl, I felt a bit of pity when she was still glaring at me while giving me perfect view of her panties (Even though I already knew what kind they were thanks to my Trace Spread). I am not a lolicon. Anyone who dares to say that I am will die a very painful death. I know how to heal people and I am not afraid to abuse it.

She stopped glaring when I reached out for her. "Come on, then." I said. As amusing as this encounter may be, I still don't think it's right to make fun of a little girl. Though it was only a tiny voice inside me that was telling me this, a louder and more deafening voice was telling me to keep amusing myself further.

Looking at my hand uncertainly, she looked back up to me and tried to figure out if I was up to something. Unfortunately for her, my hair went back to covering my eye again when I looked down.

She couldn't tell if I was up to something now because all of my face was covered by my hair and mask. Huffing in a dignified (read: childish) manner, she refused my hand and stood up by herself.

She dusted her skirt with as much grace as she could muster while looking like she didn't just fall on her ass and looked at me with a sharp stare. I could see that she lost some of the confidence and excitement that she had when we first met, and it was replaced by wariness.

If I could cover the distance between us in a blink of an eye, then she had to be careful around me. I also have one of her weapons in my hand, keeping it firmly trapped in my fist. Second owner or not, I've just proven that I was dangerous and she was currently at my mercy.

But then, there was also a hint of curiosity on her eyes.

I didn't utter an incantation or even made noticeable gestures before I executed my speed spell. From what I know of the magi in this world, they needed an aria, runes, magic circles and other magical mumbo jumbo in order to perform the mysteries of magecraft.

There were also no runes on my clothing. But even with those, she should have noticed them lighting up and see my sudden movement and would at least have a split second chance to counter. What I did was just disappear and reappear in front of her. The look of curiosity grew the more we stared at each other. I don't think she noticed the gust of wind that passed by when I made my move.

"What did you come here for?" She demanded in a serious and angry tone. It was just a front to make her look like she wasn't wary of my performance, but the slight twitches of her face and bits of shuffling of her knees told me what she was feeling while I stood in arms reach of her.

Sure she could try and fight back, yes, but I still had her jewel. If she even tried to reach for the other two in her pocket, I'd have enough time and speed to intercept her. Since she was at a great disadvantage, her only option at this moment was to try and act tough, and wait for an opening for her to grab the spares in her pocket.

Regarding the question of the girl, I could answer that the city was very rich with mana. I've used my Gust Step a few times when it was still being developed a few months back and ended up outside the city limits. I noticed that the air outside was… stale, for the lack of a better word.

It was dry. There something about the air out of the city that made it seem like there was something missing in it. When I asked father about it, he said it was because of the Leylines under Fuyuki. I didn't know what that meant, but back then I was very eager to pull off my Gust Step that I didn't question any further. That would have been my answer to the girl.

"At ease, little magus." I told her. She was already on edge as it were. It would be bad if she reacted violently to any sudden movements I made. She's still a kid, magus or not, and kids are always on a hair-trigger. "I was just here for an evening stroll when I saw the thief enter this alley."

She nodded slowly. Her eyes glanced briefly at the jewel in my hand and then back to my covered face. "Fine." She relented. "I will accept that excuse for now."

My brow twitched slightly under my fringe. Calm down, this girl doesn't know you're telling her the truth. Remember, she's only a child and she believes that she's right. In her tiny little deluded mind, she's thinks that she's always right. Let it slide… let it slide…

"Now, identify yourself. Which family are you from?" She ordered. She made a pose that would have made her look superior, but with the two inch height difference, it made her look silly. She also seemed to gain a bit more confidence when she struck the pose.

Is this girl really serious in demanding something from a guy (kid) like me that could easily use his magecraft to hurt her in several different ways? But then again, she did catch me and I unwittingly performed magecraft in front of her just to get a bit of information. I might as well be polite, but there's no way that I would tell her my name. "You need not know the name of this Fool, little miss." I said cryptically. (not that she knows) She glared at me for refusing to tell my name. "I am a mere wanderer going on his endless Journey, passing by this city of Fuyuki." I told her.

The look in her eyes told me that she wasn't buying it. "You're just a kid." She reminded me. "And you don't look like a wanderer to me." She said that while looking at my suit. There was also the issue of not having any supplies on my person. You can't go traveling without equipment.

I looked down to my attire. "I guess I don't." I agreed. I looked back at her and placed a hand on my waist and stood casually. "How about being a wandering business man?"

"Stop playing games!" she snapped, quickly pulling out the rest of the stones in her pocket since I couldn't really make any sudden moves in my casual pose. "Identify yourself immediately! You are on my family's land and you didn't even ask permission to legally practice your magecraft to me!"

Something in that sentence caught my attention. "To you?" I asked curiously. That's pretty conceited claiming to own the entire land. "That's a big claim, little miss. What would the real owner say if they heard you say that?"

"I AM the real owner." She said irritably.

"Yes, yes. Of course you are." I said, placating the girl's ire. "Now go home and sleep. Second owners need their beauty sleep to so they could be presentable to others." I began shooing the girl and went back to examining the stone in my hand, ignoring the fact that she just took out the other two from her pocket.

"Why you!" she started to activate her circuits again, hoping that I would at least get intimidated. Before she could do anything else, however, she went completely still. Her facial expression changed from anger to an instant look of shock.

Then, that shock turned into something else as she continued to look at me. She started to breathe harder, her eyes still locked on to my frame. Then she began to shake and sweat, eyes dilating and muscle began to randomly twitch.

The girl didn't know it, but she was already trapped in one of my Persona magecraft. It was an instinctive magic that the Shadows back in my world used to emit on every encounter that me and my friends had with them. There were some that could actually utilize their magic and use it as a weapon.

Evil Smile and Evil Touch were spells used to inflict fear to the target. One has to be brave enough to face it head on and smart enough to keep themselves focus so that the spell would not affect them. Though the spells have fancy names, there's also another name for them, something that would explain why fear was being inflicted on the target.

Killing Intent

Personae and Shadows can use their powers to forcefully expel out killing intent. Evil Touch need to be used up close, while Evil Smile could be used at a farther distance. There's also the fact that the appearance of the Personae and Shadow affect the effectiveness of the spell. One cannot fear Jack Frost even if it produces any amount of killing intent. And even if it did, one would think it was adorable and crush it in a hug.

Now Thanatos on the other hand… facing the jaws of death, both figuratively and literally, would naturally make one cower in fear, or at least lose all hope and just embrace the personified god of death. Then there was the Ghastly Wail where it attacks the emotionally fragile state of the target and knocks them into blissful sleep. We were thankful that Yukari didn't have a heart attack after that happened to her, but she came close to it.

Now that the spell changed the same way as my other spells, the effect of the magic depends on who is gazing upon me and how much nerve they have to keep looking. It's like a bounded field that surrounds my body and affect those who look at me directly.

The girl right now is in a state where her mind is trying to figure out what was happening to her. The most logical thing for her to conclude would be a curse spell. But again, I made no gesture, no movement, and there was no prana invading her body.

No. All the fear that's she's currently experiencing are all made up by her own imagination, being stimulated by my killing intent. The more she tries to figure it out, the deeper she'll sink into fear. As long as her mind does not come up with any rational answer, her body will continue its erratic reaction.

Reaching out a hand towards her, she shut her eyes as her mind continues to show scenarios on how this encounter would end. Many ways this could end up good or bad for her, but her mind was fully concentrating on the bad because of the irrational fear. Even now, if I make a sudden, unexpected sound, she could faint.

Each second I take to move closer to her, her mind would flash through dozens of scenarios. Now that she's even closed her eyes, it would be worse. It's easier to visualize fantasy while your eyes are close because the darkness acts like a blank sheet for you to draw your idea. It's also why people who want to concentrate hard would shut their eyes to focus solely on their idea and not let the world that they see through their eyes to distract them.

As the girl hears the rustling of my clothes, she tensed and brought her arms to her chest. It's a normal reaction, a built in defensive mechanism for all living creatures to try and comfort themselves while feeling a great amount of fear. It's called cowering.

And just like that, the invisible pressure on her body disappeared.

Like a doll relieved of its strings, she collapsed in a heap. Her eyes snapped to me, a bit of lingering fear making her move basically on instincts. She sat up straight, still breathing hard at the moment.

I smiled at another successful experiment. "Here." I said, holding out the jewel in front of her. The contradictions of my action and the earlier pressure clashed, confusing the girl. "Don't just go around throwing these at random people you meet. Who knows what might have happened if it was someone else with more evil intentions you met other than me."

I dropped the stone on her, not waiting long enough for her to reach out for it. She clumsily caught it in the air and examined it for a moment to see if there was any damage.

"Well then, little miss." She looked up from the stone when I spoke. "I'm off then."

I stepped back away from her and opened my circuits. I made the preparations for the portal and crouch down, making another portal at the top of the building that I had dropped from. When I covered myself with the bubble of wind, the little girl's voice made me pause.

"W-Wait…"

It was weak. I could still tell that she was still shaken from the spell. It made me feel a bit guilty now that I remembered that I used it to scare a girl that's almost the same age as my body. She could have been traumatized if it wasn't for the fact that she was also a magus. There had to have been someone out there to have told this girl that there would be times that her life would be in danger. I only hope that this experience made her a little tougher for her future endeavours.

"Was there something else, little miss?" I asked the still shaking girl.

"Wh-Who's your master?" she asked, causing me to raise a brow. Of all the things that she could have asked, why that? Other than father showing me how to open my circuits, everything else was just me… well, with the inspiration of Japan's culture, that is.

Mulling over the question, I really couldn't say that every mangaka in Japan was my Master, now can I? It would be an insult to every magus that have researched so hard in their line of craft to just have a person like me get breakthroughs through the literature of printed pictures. It was already ridiculous as it is. If I said that, the girl might get a mental breakdown if she found out that she got shaky legs to a guy that could be an Otaku magus.

Since the girl was still waiting for my answer, I told her the first thing that came in to mind. "My father did."

There was a brief flash in the girl's eyes. It looks like she thought that she was finally getting somewhere in finding out my identity. "O-Oh? Who is he?" she asked. My brow twitched at the rather blunt question. The girl has a lot to learn if she was this sharp tongued. If she was this direct in asking for secrets, she might not live very long.

Shaking my head at her, I set my spell on standby again. I'd warn her about exposing her neck to strangers, but then again, that's what her parents are for. Now that a mysterious boy magus was seen, they'll probably start looking for me. Well, that's what disguises are for, then.

Thinking back on how I was just about to make my exit, I forgot that I had shaken this girl so badly that she might not be able to walk for a few _long_ minutes. Sighing in that slight blunder, I offered her my hand, this time she can't say no. "Come on. I'll take you home."

The girl looks at my hand, and then another flash of fear passes her eyes. Okay, looks like my spell was _far_ too effective.

Using my other hand that I wasn't holding out to her, I revealed my dark blue, right eye to her, but still had most of the skin that wasn't covered by the mask under the fringe of my hair. If I couldn't ask her to agree, maybe a little subtle persuasion might.

Opening only one circuit to activate the spell, I drew her attention to my eye. Persuasion start, "You can't stand straight." I gestured to her shaky legs. "You're an elementary student outside at night without any guardian." I pointed at her. "You've got jewels that could make the thugs around her harass you, and that's if they're kind." I reminded that this place wasn't really the kindest place around. "And I've shaken you're mentality enough that you jump at the slightest noise."

The girl heard the last part and tried to make a defiant face, but since the shaking hasn't subsided yet, it looked like she was about to cry. "I- I don't jump at the slightest noise." She said. I gave her a flat look with my visible eye.

Then clapped my hands in front of her face.

"HIIII!"

The girl squeaked and started shaking more. When she remembered that I was still watching her, she tried looking defiant again.

I sighed and rubbed my face under my fringe. Is it so hard to just accept my help? Crouching low to the ground, I reached out and placed a hand on her head. She closed her eyes and the fear from earlier returned. What happened next puzzled the girl, but it was only natural to me.

Light emitted from my hand, making the girl open her eyes to see what was happening.

"Patra" I chanted.

Patra was a spell that stimulates the brain, making the body relax so that the target would regain their calm. It was a good way to ease the stress before exams and to calm the target down. It only targets the brain, however, and not the body, so any strain made by the stress would still be there.

And so, the girl fear began to seep away. Her eyes were growing heavy because of the soothing light. When I pulled my hand away she looked at tad disappointed.

"There. How do you feel?" I asked.

The girl blinked slowly, then started looking around as if looking for something. She looked at her hands and noticed that she had stopped shaking. "I feel fine." She finally answered after she examined herself, opening and closing the hands.

I nodded. "That's good. I can carry you home then." I made a move and tucked myhands under her armpits and pulled her up. Because of our size difference and because of how high I raised my arms, her legs were dangling in mid-air.

When the girl finally snapped out of her thoughts at the astounding display of my healing magic, she found herself being manhandled by me. She stretched out her arms and tried to push herself away from me, using her legs to also kick me in the balls. "HEY! What do you think you're doing, you pervert!"

Had I not shifted my arms to the side to protect my own set of jewels, she would have succeeded in landing a stunning blow just then. I had my eyes closed in exasperation as I refused to let her go. "I am not a pervert." Or lolicon. "I'm just going to personally escort you to your home." I said.

The girls arms were still pushing at my face when I said that, but it didn't bother her ability to hear. "What are you talking about! What do you-!"

Before she could even finish that question, I had already activated me circuits. I made a bubble of wind to protect us, causing the girl to stop her tantrum. She stared at the bubble in silent awe and curiosity, then I noticed that she had dropped her three jewels on the ground when she was in a fit of hysteria.

I made three sets of bubble to pick up the jewels and made them hover towards the girl. When she saw her jewels slowly coming towards her, she stared at them in shock. She finally took them out of the air when they were too close to her face, then she looked at me.

"Hold on." I said, instantly changing the way that I held her. She let out an 'eep' when I slid my arm across her back and my other arm under her legs. Before she could even voice her complain, I opened my portal and we quickly disappeared from the alley, with a girlish sound effects of 'KYAA!'. The characters that I know in the manga that could use sonido must be shaking their heads in disappointment right now.

* * *

Strong winds blew our hairs, the surrounding wall that had us trapped suddenly vanished. The concrete path was changed from an alley to a horizon of neon lights. The girl in my arms had closed her eyes when she felt the portal swallow us, clutching the fabric of my suit when she felt the movement of the jump.

It was like riding an elevator. Though, instead of moving at a moderate pace, the movement was instantaneous. If I were to name an example, it was more like being shot out of a cannon.

I had adjusted the power of the vacuum of the portal to make sure that the girl was safe. If I had shot us off in the speed that I normally use, I might have to cast another Patra spell on her.

When the girl finally found the courage to open her eyes again, she instantly opened them wide and in awe. We were still rising from the jump, and the speed I set was so that we could still make out our surroundings.

The girl made a long drawn out 'Kyaaa!' when the rising stopped and we started to fall. She shut her eyes again and screamed as the inevitable splat on the concrete came closer. I made another portal for us to pass through. The girl stopped her screaming when she felt the direction of our fall start going in the wrong direction.

She opened her eyes again and saw that we were moving horizontally instead of vertically downwards. I made another weak portal before we started to descend, and made another jump. The girl was still at awe, looking down below where we could hardly see the people walking in the streets.

Feeling that the girl had enough time to calm herself, I spoke. "So, where's your house?"

The girl replied, but instead of answering my question, she asked her own. "How are you doing this?" it was an amazing skill, I have to truthfully admit, but it was only because of the power of my Persona magic and the versatility of magecraft that allowed to do this.

Finding a suitable building to stop at, I made trail of portals for my jumps. It didn't require any pause since I could pick the portal's location instantly at this moderate speed.

When we finally landed, I set the girl down with me by the ledge of the roof but held her close. The bubble that protected us was able to stop the roars of the wind that roamed at the high altitude, allowing us to talk without having to shout. The girl was still mesmerized by the view of the city, and the thought moments ago: she was flying.

Yeah… that was one of the reasons why I was eager to perfect this spell.

"That was the earlier stages of my spell." I told the awed little girl. "In video games, they're called Air Dash, only mine was as long as my circuits can manage, I could do it continuously." I take great pride in this spell. It's one of my greatest achievements. Next I'll be developing super strength with reinforcement and Heat Vision with my Agi skills.

I will become Superman!

Well, not really, no. I just thought it would be a good thing to think like a normal boy who wants to be like a superhero. It's every little boy's dream to become one, and have super powers to beat up evil.

A tiny smile formed under my mask. Even if I think like that, I don't think that this would qualify as a 'little boy's dream'. But I try, at least.

"Whoa…" I heard the girl say in a breathless whisper. Her eyes were still on the city, and she was clutching to my side for support in case she falls. "So that was flying magecraft."

Not quite. Like I said, it was only quick dashes made in the air. Well, I actually prefer air dashing than flight, actually. It's less taxing that way since all I have to do was create individual portals and just rest and have fun at the free falls.

Still, let's not shatter the girl's fantasy, shall we?

"So, where do you live." I asked again. I tried my best to shake her out off the feeling of the first successful flight. It was hard because it was an exciting experience.

I sighed thankfully when she finally responded. "Over there." She pointed out to one of the western houses. "I can see my house from here!"

Ah… it's one of _those_ excited reactions where one would search for their house and boast about it when they spot it. I already did that in my first flight, so I was spared the embarrassment of doing that in front of someone.

When the girl finally noticed that she did that in front of someone, she froze, remembering that I was actually a stranger that hasn't identified himself. She had been so distracted by the flight that she forgot about whom it was that made that flight possible. She mechanically moved her stare away from her house and on to me.

I simply waved off the girl's fears. It's not like I was going to burn it down or anything. If I did, the Association would be on me and my weakened father. We can't have that now, can we?

Picking the girl up again, she made no move to resist and allowed me to carry her. I made another portal above us since I didn't feel like scaring the girl from free falling from the building. There was a blush of embarrassment on her face when she was finally coherent enough to notice that I was holding her close... and that she just made a childish gesture by pointing at her house with great enthusiasm.

It was an adorable reaction.

The portal appeared and swallowed the bubble that made it possible for us to talk normally. After making the exit from our vertical ascent, I made another trail of weak portals to lets fly over to her house.

What I forgot on the travel, however, was that there was still a gentle breeze inside the bubble that was protecting us. The girl in my arms had been looking at my face with absolute concentration ever since the exit portal of the of the ascent. The fringe that had been covering my eyes parted, allowing the girl to see both orbs without any interference.

She had gathered enough nerve to stare at me and not get distracted by the flight. It reminded me that magi in general need the talent to concentrate on what they do or else there would be consequences. Right now, the girl was showing me that she was a unique one. Magus or not, a child does not have enough patience or attention-span to stare at a person like that while not allowing the surroundings to distract them. She seems to be committing my face's detail into her memory.

She couldn't do anything to me while on the travel because the fall _will_ kill her if I let go. Even though I knew the girl was staring, I ignored her. I live in this city. One way or another, we will meet again, whether it be by chance, coincidence or by fate.

Landing gently on the ground with a cushion of wind in front of a massive western house, I set the girl on her feet. She still refused to take her eyes away from my face. It was starting to get uncomfortable with her doing that.

"Well, here you are, little miss." I gestured to the house. "Home sweet home."

The girl still didn't budge where she stood, even as I stepped back away from her. She chose to cross her arms and continue studying me. There was a haughty air that now surrounded her, making me re-evaluate my impression about her.

She was still childish, yes, but there's something in the girl's eyes that reminded me of something.

Ah, yes. Now I remember. It was the look of genuine curiosity...

Unfortunately, it was the same look that I would get whenever I wish to study something, both inside and out.

I stopped my unnerving thoughts when she spoke. The earlier excitement when we first met, the frustration at my impudence, the fury at announcing that her family was having financial problems, the awe from the flight, and also the genuine curiosity had vanished in the girl's eyes. It was now all serious. Her tone was suited to that of a business manner, and the way she held herself also matches her eyes.

"Tohsaka Rin." She said. "Second Owner of Fuyuki City."

It made me realize that she was introducing herself. I had to consciously stop myself from introducing myself automatically in response. Was she really the Second owner? What about her parents?

I looked behind her and saw that there was no light coming from the house. Everything was dark and it looked like no one was home. Her tone also indicated that she was not lying. But how could I be sure? I knew that children were bad liars, but this was a magus child, they are not normal.

Looking back to the girl, she still didn't trust me from what I can tell, but I guess that this is just for formalities. A magus that had entered the land of another must announce themselves to the second owners and ask permission to set a workshop. It's possible to stay hidden from the second owner, like what dad did all these years, but right now, I was already caught.

"I am Harbor." I said, translating my name Minato in English to keep as much secrecy as could. I could also add Existence as a translation to 'Ari' and Origin to my 'Sato', but that would be too much of a clue. "I am here researching on my Persona branch magecraft." I announced.

"Persona?" the girl, Rin, echoed the unfamiliar word. "What branch is that? And what do you mean by 'your' branch of magecraft?"

"I meant what I said." I answered, my voice going back into monotone as I equipped Thanatos so to not give anything away. "It is 'My' research. Earlier, I said that my father taught me magecraft. That is true. But he only taught me how to use my circuits and a few common practices with it, he did not pass to me his research."

A look of shock suddenly appeared on Rin's face. "What! What do you mean that he didn't pass his research on to you!" she exclaimed. There was an obvious surprise in her voice. It has always been a custom for the head of the magus family to pass on their research to their children, and denying to pass that on would result in ending the magus family line.

The research is the lifeline of a magus family. It's also the reason why some of the association magus are so stuck up.

It is _the_ most important thing for them. Not even the lives of their own family matters as long as their research is safe. There's also the rule that only _one_ will inherit the research and continue the study, even if the magus has more than one child. It's unfair for the sibling that was not chosen, but that had always been the tradition.

Finding out that my parent didn't pass to me his research was… something really unbelievable. Rin seemed to be outraged by that fact. Then she looked as if she thought of something and looked at me. "Are you the second born, or the less talented one?" she asked bluntly.

Less talented? Please. If I was, then I would have killed myself with all of those trail and errors that I did while developing my Persona Skills. Though there was another category that she forgot to add in.

"I was adopted." I told her.

Her eyes bugged out when she heard what I said. Her mouth opened and moved to say something, but no sound came out other than incoherent stings of vowels.

When she finally gathered herself, her face flushed in rage. "Are you telling me that not only are you NOT the heir of your family, but you are also ADOPTED!?"

"In a word." I nodded. "Yes." I said simply. My circuits had already cooled down and the time it took to gather the thoughts of the girl gave me time to rest.

Rin raised a shaky finger, not really pointing at me, but to the air. The flush on her face still hasn't subsided. "And also-!" it looked like she was about to add something when she stopped.

I blinked dumbly behind my fringe as I notice the red on her face began to drain… and so did the rest of the color of her face. I almost panicked when I thought that the girl had died from outrage when she spoke again, this time with her voice shaking.

"W-Wait…" she started. "Ho-How old are you again?"

Now that was a weird question. "I'm eleven." I answered immediately. It's been four years since father found me, and since then, I've been busy with training my magic and regaining some of my more powerful spells.

If it was even possible with how pale the girl was, she turned even paler. And I think the lights were playing tricks on me because I thought her whole body was just bleached into white. When I rubbed my eyes and looked again, she was just as pale as before.

Huh. I must be tired. It _is_ pretty late in the evening. I'd better wrap this up now.

"Well, anyway, I'm the new kid magus in town, Harbor. My branch of magecraft is about Persona. If you don't know what that is, I'm sure you can find it in a dictionary. It focuses on human behaviour and how they react to external stimuli."

I waved my hand in front of her face, but she didn't seem to respond. I shrugged. She must be tired like me. It _has _been a pretty exciting night.

"Well then." I turned slightly to the side, opening my circuits to prepare for the Gust Step. "I'm going now."

When I turned around fully and made the first portal, I wasn't able to pass through it. I blink then.

Did my spell not work?

"You…" I stopped at making theories as to why my spell didn't work when I heard Rin mutter behind me. _Directly_ behind me.

I was about to turn and address to her, but she pulled my arm and turned me fully to face her. Again, there was a blazing inferno dancing in her eyes as she looked at me. I didn't even know what I did to make her mad.

Wait. Was she the reason why I failed my jump? How did she do that?

I was pulled out of my questions when the girl in said question grabbed my coat and pulled me down to her eye level. My god, it's like Yukari in her period.

"Tell me…" she hissed. "Are you an Average One?"

"Average?" I voiced out my thought. I'm above average, but I don't know if that's what she's referring to since she added 'One'. "What's an Average One?"

From the close proximity of our faces, even in the dark, I saw a vein throb at her temple. It was pretty hard to miss since it just appeared suddenly and was quite large. "An Average One is a magus capable of using all five elements: Fire, Water, Earth, Wind and Ether. So…" she began shaking me, my head going back and forth and almost felt like snapping my spine. "Are you an Average One as well!?"

Well, that was a new bit of info.

So, she's an Average One: capable of using all five elements. Sadly for me, I can only use two out of five of those, and I _still_ don't know if Megido qualifies as holy, because that _thing_ CANNOT be holy. I mean, some of my _demon_ Personae have the damned thing. How the hell can it be holy if it's usable by demons _and _devils. _SATAN_ has that spell!

"I'm not!" I shouted desperately. It felt like my spine was getting loose. My god, that was a sickening feeling. "I can only use fire and wind!"

She immediately let go, dropping me unceremoniously to the ground in a heap. She looked mildly relieved about something.

Damn brat, and here I thought I should be polite, then she just goes and shake me like a rattle.

My vision was still swimming, but I was still coherent enough to hear the next words that the Tohsaka girl said. She surprised me again when her voice sounded calm again and without any evidence of her earlier tantrum.

"Alright then. I, Tohsaka Rin, Second Owner of Fuyuki, grant you permission to set-up your workshop here in my land." She looked down, giving me a stern look. "Do you swear to keep the secrecy of the Association from the mundane?"

Weakly and disoriented, I raised a weak finger. "Th-That's what hypnotism is for. Ughh…"

Rin nodded, "Good. Now, Harbor was it?" I nodded at my not-so fake name. "Get out of my property."

With that, she turned to the house and strode her way home.

Down on the ground, I couldn't help but say, "I wish to never meet that girl again."

Then, as if the world heard my prayer, they decided to break an imaginary glass in my head.

_I am Thou, and Thou Art I_

_With Luck, Fortunes and Opprtunities…_

_May you thrive in the Fortune Arcana_

…

…

You have got to be FUCKING kidding me!

* * *

**A/N:**

**So, like I said before; the Tracing I used here is different than from the original Emiya Shirou. Tracing is just a higher level of Projecting from what I've read in the type-moon wiki, so anyone can use it if they know the process. Oh, and just because you know Tracing doesn't mean that you can make a noble phantasm like Shirou. Unless you have the UBW, you can't just instantly make a copy of a noble phantasm by looking at it. Shirou can do it because of his origin. That's one of the reasons why I won't give Minato the UBW, it would be a cheat if you give it to him.**

**There's also the issue of Rin being OOC. I still can't do a trundere properly, and I'm not sure how Rin acted when she was younger. So, I just winged it.**

**Explanation on Rin's violent reaction after knowing his age:**

**Minato's researching on his own path of magecraft, he's the same age as Rin, and he's created a way to copy flight.**

**Rin was a little overwhelmed by the fact that there someone out there who was better than her and also in the same age group. The Average One bit was because she won't take it well if he's also an Average One like her.**

**Well, seeya next time, then**


End file.
